The Hidden Artist
by Maze Puppet
Summary: Allen has just moved to a French Canadian-United States border city. His first job is at an art gallery called the Hidden Artist. But who is this 'Hidden Artist? Yullen, eventually. On Hiatus.
1. Disclaimer

Disclaimer.

As you can read, this is the disclaimer. I didn't want to put it directly in the story, so I am putting it here.

I Do Not Own D Gray-Man Or Any Of Its Characters Or Affiliates.

Hoshino Katsura-sama does.

Wish I was half the story-weaver that Katsura-sama is though....I could be rolling in the dough (of course not bread dough) at the crisp age of seventeen. That would be awesome.....*dreams*

Anyway...Onward...This was the disclaimer....move on for part one of the Hidden Artist and enjoy!!

-Maze Puppet


	2. Part One: The Pianist

The Hidden Artist

Part One: The Pianist

* * *

Allen Walker considered himself lucky. Fresh into the world of universities, courses, and semi-useless councilors, the poor, fresh out of luck pianist had managed to secure himself a job. This job entailed what he loved doing most, in one of the places he loved to be.

The job? He played relaxing music on a mahogany piano.

The place? An art gallery that supported all forms of art: music, literature, and actual art(drawn, sketched, painted, etc).

Allen Walker lived in the French Canadian-American border town he had just moved to from Great Britain. Having been there for only a month and a half, the poor eighteen year old just barely knew his way around the town, which was fairly large. The three places he knew were the art gallery, the university, and his apartment complex.

The art gallery was just opening at four o'clock in the afternoon, beginning to admit its regulars or newcomers. _Hidden Artist_ art gallery was unique in comparison to most art galleries. Every night, the gallery closed at nine o'clock to have the art switched around. There were always at least two new pieces amongst the art work, sometimes even seven or eight. All the art was for sale, at least the art work that was not attached to the building.

Also, the art gallery boasted a small café at the back of the gallery, where one could purchase coffee of many kinds, beverages, pastries, sandwiches, and any other kind of snack, all of it completely healthy for its consumer. The café also contained art on its walls, ranging from many different techniques and textures, all of it beautiful.

The other employees worked hard, but happily, to maintain the _Hidden Artist_ art gallery for all to enjoy. Lenalee Lee, Lavi, and Daisya Barry all ran the café with a happy smile.

Miss Lee (who hated being called that, Allen knew, but he insisted; Lenalee insisted that she would break him of it, in a rather threatening manner, one way or another) was the "supreme drink" mixer, all of the kinds of coffee completely original and created by her. Miss Lee did what she loved, and had no real desires to leave to do anything else. She went to the university with Allen to "perfect" her skills, even though everyone told her, quite vehemently, that she could beat anyone in a drink-making contest, if such a thing existed.

Lavi (no last name, as far as Allen knew, and so nicknamed the red-head Diva, jokingly of course) kept track of all the recipes that were created, and wrote them down in a notebook everyday. He took those notes home everyday and typed them up on his computer, printed them out, and turned them into a massive book of recipes. Allen found this quite interesting, but not nearly as fascinating as Lavi's ability to memorize every one of the recipes and call them up on memory. The man was a genius! (Though Allen would never let the eccentric man know; they would never hear the end of it.) Lavi studied at the university as well, studying history, theology, literature(modern and otherwise, from every part of the world), and many others.

Daisya Barry was the chef, whose specialties ranged from amazing soup, breath-taking pastries, sandwiches, etc. He was health-conscious to the max and so never allowed anything that he considered unhealthy to leave his kitchen, unless it was in a trash bag. Daisya played soccer, and was excellent at that as well. He played for the university, and was the star player (quite proud of himself about that, and tended to boast a little more than necessary, but everyone loved the lovable man anyway).

Outside of the café, there were four more employees. Two security guards, a seller of the art work, and the pianist (Allen himself).

The first security guard was Kanda Yuu, a Japanese student at the university, at least, Allen thought so. He wasn't entirely sure about what was with Kanda, but the man had an ego the size of the territory, and attitude to suit a cat that had been throw into a bath tub filled with cold water, and just as violently-tended. The man had picked up calling Allen a "moyashi", which Allen had no clue as to the meaning, but didn't really care. Allen knew enough Japanese, and so called Kanda "BaKanda". Needless to say, the two men did not like each other, and got along as well as a cat and a dog, to use the stereotype. Of course, these two "animals" also had issues with being argumentative, stubborn, and temperamental around each other. (The miraculous part of the "relationship", if one could call it that, was that these two hadn't even known each other for two and a half weeks.)

The second security guard was Noise Marie (an odd name, in Allen's opinion) who somehow managed to keep Kanda from attacking Allen, or vice versa, were Allen so inclined. He was a music-fanatic, and loved to play stringed instruments, from harps to lutes to guitars (of many kinds) and was really good at it. Currently the man was teaching himself to play the sitar, and wasn't half bad either, and played in the art gallery sometimes. The man did not attend the university, but did teach classes there. Allen figured that he was nearing his thirties, give or take, but looked barely a year over twenty, but acted with the calm and patience of a saint. He tolerated Kanda's attitude (somehow, Allen didn't know) and that in itself was a miracle. He claimed that he had known Kanda for years, since the twenty-one year old man had been a child, and so knew how to get to Kanda, to keep the cold and angry man even-tempered(for him).

The seller of the art was a sweet, if extremely timid, German woman by the name of Miranda Lotto. Allen really wasn't sure how to describe the woman, but she worried too much and thought that she was a failure at life. Everyone at the gallery protested, saying that Miss Lotto did a wonderful job, making the woman go berserk, thinking that everyone was pitying her and just telling her that to make her feel better. It was an almost unending circle until Kanda jumped in telling the woman that she did what she was best at, certainly in less pleasant terms, and she was doing her job just fine. This usually calmed Miranda down, most likely because she was afraid of the younger man. Miranda didn't go to the university, as she was nearly twenty-eight, and her job at the art gallery was the only job she had. She lived out of town on a massive ranch that her mother had owned. No one really knew what kept Miranda from losing her home, as the job she had paid a nice amount, but not enough to maintain the ranch.

And, finally, there was the owner of the art gallery, the ever-eccentric Komui Lee. Komui was, as it may seem obvious, related to Lenalee, as they are siblings. (Both of which were Chinese and did not live with their parents. Allen didn't know why, but he figured it to be a sensitive subject.)

Komui Lee was the manager and owner of the art gallery, though sometimes Allen wasn't sure how the psychotic man had come up with such a brilliant idea as the art gallery, with all it's small, but important, details and add-ons. Although he owned the art gallery, he basically left its management to Lenalee and the security guards (mostly Marie dealt with the managing; Kanda was not much of a people person). Komui was a scientist and worked for both the university and a private company based just outside the town (that happened to look very suspicious and was always heavily guarded), and was very rarely found actually at the art gallery. The only times he showed up, Lenalee harshly suggested that Komui get back to work before someone realized that he was skipping out on work and playing hooky. At this, Komui would cry hysterically (and quite exaggeratedly) for all of five minutes before he heard someone speak of an art piece (which happens often).

In spite of all this, the most unique thing about the art gallery was the art itself. A lot of it was done anonymously. At least, it seemed to be anonymous.

There was one artist (an utter genius) who always signed his/her mark at the bottom left corner, whose art always sold for the highest prices. The "signature", Lavi had said, was a character that was similar to one that could be found in the Chinese or Japanese language, but with obvious differences ("This mark, here, near the top? And that curve is inverted right there? And then this section right here, is a little bit different than it should be?" "But what does it mean?" "Ummm.....I don't know.") that could make it mean anything.

The art itself, of this mysterious artist ("_Hidden Artist_, Allen, because the gallery was named after their work!" Lavi announced), was beautiful, spiritual, with such deep meaning that Allen could stare at it for hours. There were so many different ways to look at any one of the pictures, and many more to actually _see_ it.

What Allen saw, though, was a different story. He saw pain, sorrow, a desire for love under a mask of other things, things that one would not expect to hold such emotions. He saw loss and many shed tears through many façades. It was intense art work that Allen dearly loved. He would have loved to purchase a piece to put in his apartment, but lacked the money to do so. After all, some of the pieces run up to two thousand dollars at times. Whoever the _Hidden Artist_ was, he or she had to be rolling in money.

* * *

"I say it's Miranda," Lavi said, as he seated himself at the table of a nearby diner, two hours before the art gallery was to open. Lenalee sat next to him, then Daisya, Allen, and finally Kanda (who Lavi and Daisya had forcibly dragged along, much to his disliking).

"It's possible. I mean, she does have that huge ranch to take care of, who knows what expenses she has to pay?" Lenalee said, shrugging as she grabbed menus to pass out to everyone.

"I don't think so," Daisya muttered.

"And why is that, Daisya?" Lenalee asked, leaning closer. Daisya flushed a little at the closeness of the Chinese female, but answered truthfully, "Look at how jittery she is. And how timid? I just don't think so."

"How can you know for sure? She might have a hidden side to her. An artistic side that none of us can see. Perhaps a side that only comes out when she is at home, where she can relax?" Allen said, tilting his head to the side in thought.

"Are you still on that hidden emotion crap, Moyashi??" Kanda demanded, speaking for the first time since he had walked into the diner.

"It's not crap, Kanda! You just don't understand emotions, you heartless wanker." Allen sniffed, flipping open his menu to choose a drink.

"At least I'm not an obviously-homosexual, freakish Brit." Kanda hissed, goading Allen into would become a full-scale argument in a few seconds. Allen glared.

"Yeah, so I'm gay. At least I can appreciate beauty in all forms. You wouldn't know beauty if it came up and bit your arse. Just like you wouldn't know what a heart was, if it punched you in the face _and_ bit your arse." Allen sniffed. The "gay" insults had long since ceased to actually bother Allen, yet Kanda kept them up for some reason.

"Homosexual is still homosexual. How many guys have you bent over for?"

"None, you _wanker_!" Allen growled, narrowing his eyes dangerously. That, however, was not something Allen tolerated: _at all, ever_.

"What's the matter, Yuu-pon? 'S your masculinity threatened by cute li'l Allen here?" Lavi jumped in, trying to avoid declared war between the two (which would lead to having to pay the bill of several broken chairs, tables, several dozen broken glasses and plates, perhaps a window and a hole in a wall, which had happened before).

"Screw you, baka Usagi." Kanda hissed, glare switching from Allen to Lavi.

"Boys, boys, behave. We _are_ in public." Lenalee sighed, rubbing her temple tiredly. Daisya chuckled a little, shaking his head.

"To go back to the previous conversation....What do you think Kanda? Who do you think does the paintings of the _Hidden Artist_?" Lavi asked, smiling at Kanda in an attempt to placate the sour man. Kanda sniffed in disgust anyway.

"Che. I don't know, nor do I care."

"You're no fun, Yuu." the red head said, pouting pitifully.

The waitress approached, asking for each person's drink order. Lenalee asked for some type of herbal tea, Lavi and Daisya ordered coffee (they had a coffee competition going on, despite the fact that Daisya was a health-nut, and neither could drink anything but coffee, which only served to drive the others completely insane with the coffee jitters every morning), and Kanda ordered green tea, and Allen ordered a 'dark hot chocolate', which was a delicious blend of hot chocolate and coffee with heavy creamer.

He was still fuming about the comment made by Kanda earlier. Truthfully, Allen had never even been close to experiencing...those kinds of things. With either sex. He had had a girlfriend and a boyfriend in high school, but he had ended each of those relationships after a few months, if not sooner. Nothing felt right to him. After the end of those two relationships, Allen had just lost interest in dating and hadn't tried since. It was no real loss as Allen had been able to focus on more important things, like moving to Canada and getting into the local university. And he had been content with the situation.

Well, up until he had begun frequenting the _Hidden Artist_ and met the most exotic person of his life. This exotic being was none other than the nerve-grating, arrogant, insulting and rude Kanda Yuu. He was drop-dead gorgeous, intelligent, health-conscious (nowhere near as bad as Daisya), and athletic.

And Allen hated him with every ounce of his British body. Hate, love, it was all very mixed. The white-haired (just barely) adult disliked the effect that the man had on him when he walked into the room, flipped his hair, glared, and spoke.

Allen glared at the wooden table before him. Though it was still early in the day and Allen had already finished with his class, he wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep for the rest of the day. Dealing with Kanda was exhausting work and it was bound to get worse at the art gallery. Kanda seemed to have nothing better to do than to sit nearby and pester Allen while the British pianist tried to play.

"Hey, Allen. What classes are you taking? You never really said, you know," Lenalee asked, looking at Allen from across the round table.

"Well, I'm taking violin and choir classes. There are a few more I will have to take next semester in order to get that degree in music, like music comprehension, music history and a few others that I really don't remember. Other than that, I am taking art, math, theology, and psychology." Allen said to Lenalee. He could tell that she was trying to distract him from Kanda, since there was a spark of concern in her dark eyes. He was grateful, but Allen knew how to deal with Kanda...for the most part.

Lunch was spent cheerily, with the exception of the brooding Kanda (when wasn't he brooding?). Daisya had managed to incite Kanda into a conversation at one point, to Allen's surprise. Lenalee and Lavi were not, though. Apparently Daisya and Kanda had known each other for a long time and were almost like brothers.

After finishing their food and drink, all five left together, with Lavi and Lenalee splitting the bill for all of them, headed to the _Hidden Artist_ since it was almost time for the gallery to open up.

* * *

Lenalee pulled her keys out of her purse to unlock the door and then looked back at the group behind her briefly before she opened the door. Lavi was attached to Allen, whispering something in the British teen's ear that made Allen look faintly uncomfortable. Daisya flicked his sharp but warm eyes at Lavi and Allen and then at Lenalee, who smiled at him. Kanda was staring pointedly off into space, his brow just faintly creased in a frown.

"Well, my brother is not coming in today, so for today, Daisya, you are in charge of his office, " Daisya groaned upon hearing this, but said nothing more. Lenalee smiled sympathetically. Komui's office was constantly filled with order forms, bills, letters, complaints, and law suits. And that was just from the mail service. He had old paintings lining the walls that had to be taken care of almost daily, paintings stacked on their sides against the back wall, waiting to be hung up one of the showrooms, or others that were waiting to be picked up by their new owners.

Whenever Komui was not at the art gallery, it was left to one person, each day, to clean up the office to the best of their ability and perform the duties that Komui shirked all the time. These duties included paying the bills (electricity, phone, water, and the payments for the art gallery, etc etc), dusting the paintings, organizing Komui's desk, and many more. One person only ever got so much done, and so it was left up to Daisya to go through the mess of paintings. The previous workday had been Kanda's turn in which he was supposed to have paid the bills for the past two months.

When Lenalee opened the door, Kanda pushed past Lavi and Allen, knocking Lavi off of Allen, flicked the main gallery's lights on and disappeared into the back room door. Allen glared at Kanda's back and sniffed in disgust.

"What a bint." Allen said crossly. Lenalee and Daisya gave Allen an odd look, but Lavi snickered wickedly.

"What did you say, Allen?" Lenalee asked, an eyebrow arched. Allen blushed, both for the fact that he realized that he had used a British slang word and for what the word meant.

"He called Kanda a woman!" Lavi laughed. Lenalee still looked faintly confused. Allen, still flushed, pushed through and headed to his precious piano.

"Allow me to elaborate," Lavi said expertly, "Allen, as you know, is British. So, being fresh from Britain, he uses a lot of the terms that are common there. 'Bint', what Allen called Kanda, is a derogatory term for a woman. Basically it means 'bitch'." Lenalee sighed, but this startled a laugh out of Daisya, which set Lavi off again.

Lenalee pushed past the immature boys and headed past where Allen was sitting at the piano, softly playing a few notes of a song that the white-haired teen played a lot. Lenalee recognized it as a Beethoven symphony, though she was unsure which one.

"Daisya, Lavi, come on, we need to start getting the kitchen ready. Stop messing around, please." Lenalee called, flicking on the spot lights as she went.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Lavi and Daisya chorused, sounding very much like naughty little boys trying to pass as innocent.

And in the background, soft music from a piano played soothingly.

* * *

Review, please. I worked hard on this...so...^_^;;

The next chapter should be up as soon as I can manage...

-Maze Puppet


	3. Part Two: Famous Last Words

The Hidden Artist

Part Two: Famous Last Words

* * *

It had been almost ten years since Kanda had left Japan. It had been well over ten years since he had seen his parents or his little sisters, or anyone of his family. If he saw them again, he doubted that there would be any recognition from their part or his. It wasn't as though he hated his family, but neither did he really love them. Nor had they seemed to love him, either.

His paintbrush flashed, the silver tool dealing a line of dark blue on the canvas.

Not that any of that mattered anymore. Ten plus years had been plenty of time for the miserable feelings of an abandoned boy to be forgotten. Kanda's part mentor, part adoptive father, part insane artist, Froi Tiedoll had helped with much of the hard feelings by trying to show Kanda "how to love". It was sickening, for the most part, but Kanda had warmed up to the weird old man fairly quickly.

Of course, Kanda did not have to bear the lunacy of the old man by himself. A few years before Kanda had been adopted, apparently Tiedoll had adopted another. Noise Marie, a blind Austrian with exceptional hearing, had been picked up in Southern France, though the circumstances were unknown to Kanda, as neither Tiedoll nor Marie talked about it. Much like Tiedoll never talked about Kanda's past.

Only a year and a half after Kanda, Tiedoll brought home a soccer-playing miscreant name Daisya Barry. Again, Kanda did not know the circumstance in which Daisya had been found.

He was starting to formulate a theory involving Tiedoll being like a sympathetic old woman picking up injured animals from the side of the road. Not that Kanda considered his plight when he had been found by Tiedoll to be anything like that.

About five years ago, though, Tiedoll had brought his "sons" to Canada from their comfortable home in Germany, as part of his job, so he said, and told the boys to adjust.

Kanda and Daisya had been roughly seventeen at the time, so they were subsequently enrolled in the local high school. Marie, who was twenty-seven, had been attending college for the past few years, majoring in all types of music and instruments, music theory and history.

Tiedoll had given the boys about three weeks notice before the move, giving them time to pack up and not much else. He had assured them that he would take care of all their transfers himself while they packed and finished out school in Germany.

His silver paintbrush applied a dark sky to the canvas, broken up only by bits of lighter, silvery clouds.

Since moving to Canada, the Japanese man had met, one by one, the ones he could almost call his friends: Lenalee Lee, her eccentric brother Komui, and Miranda.

Lenalee was like his little sister, two years his junior, and vaguely, sometimes, he felt protective of her. She was smart beyond her years and clearly had had a past nearly as screwed up as the adopted sons of Froi Tiedoll. She was fiercely protective of all of their friends and loved them all quite obviously.

Komui.....There was nothing to say about that freakish man, Kanda thought sourly, his hand tightening, striking a discordant line of dark green on his canvas.

Kanda glared at that line, but it seemed that the more he grew the desire to paint over it and assimilate it into the mass of color before him, the more it seemed to fit right where it was.

Subsequently, he ignored it, continuing his line of thought.

Miranda Lotto, the paranoid, self-loathing German woman. She was older than Kanda, and clearly very foolish, but cared for her friends as much as Lenalee did. And though she tried her very best not to disappoint anyone, ever, she always managed to make a mess of things, often hurting herself or someone else. This would set off another bout of apologies and attempts to make up for her mistake. The woman also showed signs of a dysfunctional past, which didn't really surprise Kanda.

But, most recently....The most curious British boy had joined the ranks of Kanda's dysfunctional group of friends.

Allen Walker.

Kanda's hand tightened once more around his paintbrush, but his hand shook badly enough to smear four or five dark colors together. This was not something that fit in at all, so Kanda would have to fix it or toss the painting and start anew.

He sighed angrily, dropping his paintbrush and pallet of colors to the counter beside him. He was perfectly capable of fixing the blemish caused by his violent action, but Kanda had no desire to now.

The clock in the studio read 10:30 PM, or 22:30, which was past the time for the _Hidden Artist_ to be closed. He momentarily wondered why no one had come in to warn him of the lateness of the hour, but remembered that he had locked the door to the studio and no one really knew where he was. All anyone knew was that Kanda had disappeared not long after arriving at work. Of course Kanda would still be counted as being at work, but _his_ work differed from everyone else's.

Not only was he one of the security guards, he was _the_ "Hidden Artist". His work brought in twenty percent of the income of the _Hidden Artist_ art gallery. Given the name though, not very many people were aware of Kanda's artistic ability.

Komui knew for sure, since it had been the eccentric man's idea to re-open the decrepit, rundown art gallery as the newly renovated, _Hidden Artist_ Art Gallery, with Kanda as the main attraction.

And Kanda's adoptive father, Froi Tiedoll.

Tiedoll discovered Kanda's ability not long after adopting the Japanese boy. He had showed Kanda the supplies that an artist used for painting one afternoon. The young Kanda had picked up a pencil and immediately sketched a very accurate portrait of a bird Kanda had seen on a fence post the day previous while wandering outside with Tiedoll. This was a surprise to the old man, who began surreptitiously trying to teach Kanda different techniques of artistry.

By the time Kanda was fourteen, he was every bit as good as Tiedoll, but lacking in experience, so said the elderly man.

And finally, Marie knew about Kanda's artistic skills and his contract with Komui. It hadn't been hard for him to figure out, since he could always smell charcoal pencil-smell, acrylic paint-smell, and various other scents on the younger man.

No one else knew, and that was how Kanda wanted it.

Kanda looked at the reflection of his tired expression briefly in the mirror. He had paint on his forehead and cheek, arms, hands, and chest.

He had discovered a while ago that he was, by no means whatsoever, a clean artist. He always managed to get part of his one of his masterpieces on himself while working. But it was late and he could always take a shower at home.

Kanda flipped his hair over his shoulder and tugged his shirt on, not caring to button it up all the way. He made his way across the rather large studio, filled with paintings ready to be put on display, or go into Komui's office, and reached for the door handle.

As his hand touched the handle, to unlock the door, he began to hear the faint tinkling of the piano being played in the main gallery.

Ahh, the gay Brit was still around. Kanda huffed and headed across towards the coat hanger near the café. The tinkling coming from the piano stopped as Allen heard Kanda's footsteps.

"Kanda? You're still here?" Allen asked, his voice sounding unguarded and rather surprised –a small part of Kanda thought that he had heard a certain tone of vulnerability, but passed it off.

"Obviously." Kanda replied shortly. Allen sighed harshly and snapped the cover for the piano keys down.

"Well, I suppose it is rather late. I should get going home." Allen said, more to himself than anything. Kanda ignored him and grabbed his coat.

"Do you want me to close up or do you want to?" the Brit asked, his voice sounding tired and- again with the vulnerability! Melancholy little brat.

"Do what you want."

"Of course."

After a few moments of hesitation, with Kanda standing next to the coat rack, fiddling with the buttons, undecided whether or not to actually close them, Allen spoke again.

"You want to go grab a beer?" he asked nonchalantly. Kanda smirked humorlessly. The kid was trying to be random, as if they didn't all but say that they hated each other every single time they saw each other.

Che. Why not.

"You're buying." Kanda said, leaving no room for bargaining. Allen shrugged noncommittally and headed to grab his coat too.

"Sounds okay."

The younger man slipped on his coat and pulled the _Artist_'s main key set, that Lenalee had left with him earlier that afternoon, out of his pants pocket.

"Can you flick off those house lights, eh?" Allen asked, the weird combination of British accent and Canadian colloquialism sounding odd and amusing at the same time. Kanda shrugged and did so, ignoring the fact that he wasn't snapping at Allen or threatening, or even insulting the white-haired kid.

They made their way to the front door, turning off various lights as they went, effectively locking down the art gallery.

"Aren't you too young to be drinking?" Kanda asked idly as Allen locked the front door. Allen shook his head and put the keys back in his pocket.

"I _am_ eighteen." Allen replied, no irritation present in his voice. In fact, he still sounded...forlorn. Kanda sighed quietly, stuck his hands in his pockets to ward against the slightly chilling night air, and headed towards the closest pub. Allen followed along after, tugging at his sleeves.

The pub was warm, darkened, and lively, a lot of chatter bouncing from wall to wall. Kanda stole a booth from an elderly couple and seated himself against the wall. Allen stood at the edge of the table quietly until Kanda was settled.

"What do you want?"

"Just a beer. Doesn't matter."

"Okay."

Allen headed off towards the bar, disappearing from Kanda's line of vision. The kid's shoulders looked a little less straight than usual. What the hell was wrong with him?

Kanda rolled his eyes. Probably some stupid homosexual thing. Didn't really matter, anyway.

Allen came back a moment later and set down two mugs of beer on the table. He looked a little relieved at the sight of the beverage as he pushed one mug towards Kanda.

"It's imported from Munich. Called Munchen Lager, or something." Allen explained at Kanda's blank look towards his beer. Allen raised his mug towards Kanda, in an invitation to a toast. Kanda inwardly shrugged, raised his glass and tapped it against Allen's, before taking a light sip. When he put his glass down, Allen still had his up, downing a quarter of the glass in one go.

"Jesus, Moyashi. You trying to get smashed and stupid or something?" Kanda asked, sounding sufficiently disgusted and incredulous. Allen said nothing and sat back in his place, relaxing against the wood of the booth.

"How old are you?" Allen asked suddenly, his eyes closed, catching Kanda unawares.

"Why?"

"Well, I told you how old I am. I'm just curious."

"It's not as though you had to tell me how old you are. I just asked if you were old enough to drink." Kanda said, sounding annoyingly like a petulant child, in his opinion.

"Well, if I just said yes, then you likely wouldn't have believed me." Allen replied, his eyes snapping open. Those grey eyes looked a little defiant and challenging. Kanda narrowed his eyes in response, his mouth tightening a little and turning down at the corners.

"I still don't believe you. You are too short to be eighteen, anyway, Moyashi." Kanda smirked derisively. Allen openly glared.

"Lord in Heaven, Kanda. I invite you for a bloody peaceful drink and you turn into a bloody arsehole. What the hell??" Allen demanded, looking furious. The Brit cursed vehemently, drained half of what was left of his beer, slammed the glass on the table and stood up.

"You can take care of the bloody bill, you wanker." Allen sniffed as he left.

Kanda sneered and took another light sip of his beer.

"What a bitch. And this shit tastes like earwax anyway."

The Japanese man drank a little bit more of his beer, ignoring the chatter of the people around him, before he paid the bill and left.

A small part of him felt a very minuscule bit of guilt for ruining Allen's invitation of peace, but the rest of him didn't really care.

Kanda had a car, but he never drove to work, only to the university. Since he lived about three blocks from the _Hidden Artist_, driving was a moot point. The walk usually took only fifteen minutes during the day, and even less than that at night, when traffic was lessened significantly. The pub was nearly in the middle of the route that Kanda usually took, so the time was even less to get home tonight.

Kanda, for some mysterious –and rather irritating- reason, could not get him mind off the last look of anger that Allen had given him. Yes, clearly it had been angry, but there was something more. Something that had transfixed him, had him pinned on the spot, breath caught in his chest. He couldn't even put a word to that emotion, the one in Allen's eyes, but it made him feel extremely frustrated and angered. He didn't think that he had ever seen such an emotion in the kid's eyes.

The stupid beer didn't even do shit, Kanda thought crossly -and quite randomly. Foreign beer is so pathetically mild.

That problem could be solved, though. The Japanese man had several bottles of whiskey at home, only one of them opened. Kanda wasn't a heavy drinker; he was barely considered a light drinker, according to Lavi. Not that Kanda really cared what Lavi thought.

However, when Kanda went drinking, which is what he had figured to be doing tonight when Allen invited him, Kanda meant to actually _feel_ something, a buzz or whatever teenagers called it. So, the open bottle of whiskey would suffice for tonight.

Uggh. Lavi.

His previous thoughts brought to mind the eccentric, ridiculously smart-but-stupid-at-the-same-time, book-freak. He didn't really know much about the self-proclaimed heir to the Bookman Clan (or something like that, whatever the hell that meant), except the previously stated things and that the red-head loved to stick his nose into other people's business. He loved gossiping with Daisya and "flirting" with both Allen and Lenalee.

Kanda wasn't much of a psychoanalyst, but he knew that Lavi wasn't an attention seeker. The red-head commanded attention with his every action, either from his obvious, intense intelligence or his obvious stupidity, Kanda didn't care to decide with either one.

Lavi, since the two had met, had –somehow, Kanda thought with a flash of irritation- learned Kanda's first name. Kanda had only one name in mind that would tell the vicious red-head, but he couldn't prove anything. The old man denied it every time Kanda brought it up, so the Japanese man learned quickly that he would get nothing from bothering with it.

Kanda slipped his hand into his pocket and drew out his keys to unlock his apartment door. Next door, he heard his neighbor slam a door quite loudly and then a loud crash. A low but vehement curse was heard distinctly, in a vaguely familiar accent. Kanda didn't really care, and so opened his door and walked inside.

After Kanda had graduated, he was all too quick to move out and away from Tiedoll, in spite of the man's sorrowful protests that Marie and Daisya had stayed with him after graduating. To that Kanda had replied, somewhat harshly, "That's because they are afraid of hurting your weak sensibilities. I know you better than that. You'll live."

Kanda had offered to Daisya, however, to move in with him, to the apartment that Kanda had found, but Daisya has said no. He had said something about saving up his money for some thing or another. Kanda had stopped paying attention after the "no" part.

So, for now, Kanda lived alone, slept alone, ate alone; all that wonderful junk. It _was_ rather nice, though. It was easier for Kanda to meditate every morning when he awoke and every night before going to sleep if there weren't any distracting roommates.

_Thump! Crash!_ More cursing.

Although, Kanda thought irately, neighbors are almost as bad.

Kanda pulled the opened whiskey bottle out of its hiding place and found a shot glass. After his third shot, Kanda's head was swimming oddly.

Maybe that foreign beer did have more kick to it than he had though. Three shots of whiskey usually didn't have this much of an effect. After one more quick shot, Kanda closed the bottle and left both the bottle and the shot glass on the kitchen counter. He carefully staggered out of the kitchen, his chest and head and stomach all pleasantly warm and fuzzy as he wandered over to his couch to collapse.

The couch would have to do, because the bed was too far away and the couch was every bit as comfortable. Kanda pulled off both coat and shirt and dropped them on the back of the couch. His skin was warm against his hands, but Kanda knew better than to try to sleep without a blanket of some sort. He would likely end up catching cold, which wouldn't be very good. Luckily, Kanda always planned ahead. There was a soft, fleece blanket on the back of the couch that he pulled off with some difficulty.

_Crash! Crash! Thump!_ Another bout of cursing, and then hurried footsteps.

Kanda rolled his eyes and lay down, closing his eyes, a very faint, barely-noticeable content smile on his lips.

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

The Japanese man groaned unhappily.

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

"Excuse me! I'm sorry! Is anyone home?" a British voice called through Kanda's door.

"No....I'm not home..." Kanda muttered unhappily as he got up. He didn't know that he had a British neighbor. Usually they were pretty quiet, though.

He went to the door and unlocked it, then opened it, rubbing at his forehead. He was still fuzzy and starting to get a little giddy. Most definitely, yes, that alcohol was taking effect. He looked at the intruder of his peace and deadpanned.

"Moyashi. What the hell."

"Kanda?? What are you doing here?" Allen asked, clearly too surprised to care about the argument that had taken place not more than an hour ago.

"I live here, Moyashi."

"I have a- Arg! Nevermind! Can I use your tellie? I don't have one and....well, my apartment is a mess....and I seem to have cut myself pretty bad. I think I might need a suture."

"What? You need a....what?"

"Oh. Your...phone. I think I need to call emergency. I might need....stitches." Allen explained awkwardly.

"Let me see, Baka Moyashi." Kanda demanded, swaying a tiny bit as he opened his door wider. Allen watched Kanda suspiciously, holding his left arm, which was wrapped in a towel, before extending his arm forward.

"Are you drunk?" Allen asked, staring at Kanda's swaying body as he examined the jagged cut and scrapes on Allen's arm.

"No. You don't need stitches. You need a bandage, though. Do you have a first-aid kit?" the Japanese man asked, his face clear of any glare. His expression was rather blank, neither irritated nor concerned.

"No, I don't."

"Fine. Follow me. I have supplies in my bathroom."

Allen nodded and followed the, if not-drunk, then at least very tipsy Kanda further into his apartment.

"What the hell were you doing anyway." Kanda asked, though it was less than a question. The man just sounded....blank.

"....Reorganizing."

Kanda laughed, if a little humorlessly.

"I could tell. Why?"

"Because I can."

Kanda pulled out a first-aid kit from a cabinet beneath the sink and commanded Allen to sit on the toilet seat. Kanda wordlessly cleaned the wound, then added some sort of ointment to enhance healing or something, and then dressed the wound very carefully. The older man felt the younger man's eyes on either his hands or on his face the entire time.

Probably analyzing or some shit, Kanda thought.

"I'm sorry for acting like such a...immature child at the pub." Allen said suddenly.

What the hell was with these offhand comments?

"Che. You're always stupid, though." Kanda said with a somewhat cruel grin. Allen rolled his eyes.

"Whatever."

"Want to continue where we stopped?" Kanda asked in return. Allen gave him a quizzical look as Kanda finished up the dressing.

"Drinking, Moyashi." the older man clarified.

"Oh, sure. Though, aren't you drunk enough?"

"Moyashi, I could probably drink you under the table any day." Kanda sniffed.

"Is that a challenge?"

"We'll see, pipsqueak."

Allen grinned fiercely.


	4. Part Three: Sex God Of The Century

The Hidden Artist

Part Three: Sex-God of the Century

* * *

Warmth surrounded him in the form of lithe arms, pulling him close to the main source of heat. Those arms completely encircled him, shifting occasionally against his bare skin with a soft rasp. He could hear a soft and steady heartbeat that wasn't his own thumping near his ear. It was soothing.

A soft and tired groan sounded above his head, making his body tingle pleasantly.

Wait...What?!

Allen snapped awake, his body going rigid. Never had he awoken as such, surrounded by someone else's warmth. He carefully shifted around to face his "captor".

For several moments, he lay frozen, staring at the sleeping face of Yuu Kanda.

What....happened? The last thing Allen remembered was his first shot of whiskey and the immediate warmth in his chest, and then the subtle warmth of Kanda's arms and chest.

"Oh god...." Allen whispered in horror, "Did we have....._sex_?!"

Before that questioned could be fully comprehended, Allen pulled himself out of Kanda's arms, careful not to wake the older man, and searched for his clothes. Everything was spread about the room, leading from the kitchen to the couch where Kanda now lay, his arms moving as though seeking the warmth that Allen had taken away. Allen pulled on his pants, grabbed all his other clothing articles and ran out, his mind racing with hysteria.

When he got into his apartment, he slammed the door shut and locked it. He collapsed against the door and sank down to the floor, staring in horror at the floor.

"Did I just have sex...with _Kanda_?! _Yuu_ Kanda?!!" he asked the air, grey eyes terrified.

"Isn't....sex supposed to...hurt?"

"I don't hurt..."

"But....I was lying...._naked_....on Kanda's couch.....with _Kanda_! What else could that mean?!"

"Did he _rape_ me?!"

"...Did _I_ rape _him_?!"

"But he was happy as he slept! ...He slept..."

"He's so pretty when he slee- Ahh! I can't believe I'm thinking this!!"

"But he is pretty....Sleeping or no..."

Allen stood up, his mind a little calmer with that last note, and made his way to his bathroom.

"I don't have a hang over..."

"But.....I don't remember what happened after that first shot."

"Did Kanda....drug me? In order to have sex with me?"

"But...he's so hot....he doesn't need to _drug_ me...I'd do him anytime..."

"Oh god! I did _rape_ him!! He's gonna kill me!!"

"At least....Neither of us are...women. So...no pregnancy to worry over."

Allen gasped.

"Will _he_ remember?!?!"

"Oh god, oh god, oh god. He's going to kill me!!"

"I'm dead...I'm dead! Hahaha....I better write my will."

Allen dropped his clothes and stared into his mirror. A random pain in his arm reminded him of the incident in which he had come to run to Kanda's apartment.

"I didn't even know it was Kanda's apartment!"

"But my intentions were purely innocent! He was the one who invited me to continue drinking! _He_ got _me_ drunk!!"

Allen suddenly twitched, breaking himself out of his stupor of trying to remember anymore details of the night previous. He pulled his pants off and climbed in the shower, ready to rinse of the events of the previous of last night, if there were any physical signs.

As Allen washed down, he discovered seven or eight little bite marks and blood marks on his upper chest and stomach.

"That bastard!! What did he do to me!?!"

On further inspection, nothing else was found, nothing below the waist, anyway, much to the Brit's extreme relief. He washed his hair and then rinsed out the soap. After turning off the shower water, Allen stood there, dripping water onto the tiled floor.

He got out and wrapped a towel around his waist, then looked in the mirror again. For the first time, he saw the rather obvious blood mark –or hickey- on the side of his neck.

"Oh...god. How the hell am I going to hide that?? If Lavi sees it-! If _Kanda_ sees it!!"

"What....if I left some mark of Kanda?!"

"I'm dead....I'm dead, I'm dead."

"I...have to go check him."

"It's not as though it really matters....He'll find out one way or another..."

"...And then I am dead."

"Except....He will probably torture me...keep me alive for years....Slowly peel off my skin with a carrot peeler."

"....I can't believe I was...naked...with Kanda!"

Allen blushed heavily, shivering with slight pleasure.

"Oh god, but he felt good....His strong muscles....his arms, holding me so close....His steady heart beat in my head...."

The poor British boy felt his knees go weak. Kanda was quite the specimen.

"I have to go check him....I have to..."

He finished drying himself off and pulled a fresh pair of crisp, black pants on. Next followed a white button-up shirt, which his tucked into his pants after buttoning up. A grey-striped vest followed.

Allen enjoyed dressing nicely. It made him feel well-grounded and secure.

However....That hickey on his neck would have to be covered. Allen headed to his room and found a red scarf that matched his usual red ribbon and wrapped it securely around his neck. It efficiently covered the bruise and, in fact, looked rather good with the neutral colors.

Allen ruffled his hair with the towel, the thick material absorbing the excess water. He hung the towel up on a rack and then slowly, hesitantly made his way out of his apartment, to Kanda's again. He knocked softly on Kanda's door, seeing if the Japanese man was already awake.

After a few minutes of no response, Allen went into the living room, to find that Kanda was, indeed, still asleep. The Brit made his way around to the front of the couch, glad that Kanda was covered with a thick, fleece blanket.

"Kanda?" Allen whispered softly, seeing if the man would react. After another breathless minute of no response, the younger boy breathed a soft sigh of relief. He closely examined Kanda's face.

"You're so...beautiful....You arsehole." Allen whispered, somewhat sadly.

"Why can't I hate you....Jerk."

He carefully pulled the blanket down to reveal more of Kanda's neck, searching for any marks. As he went further down, Allen discovered several marks, none as bad as the one on his own neck, but there none-the-less.

"You're going to kill me....I just know it..."

"Mo....yash....i....."

Allen froze, snapping his head up to look at Kanda's face, expecting open and angry eyes. Nothing.... Soft, moving, slightly quivering lips that looked swollen a little...but...nothing else.

Wait....swollen? So...They had kissed?

Allen blushed heavily again. His heart raced in a more pleasant way than the idea of sex could ever cause. No one ever kissed their rape victim. And their rape victim never left hickeys on the rapist. Slightly relieved that there was no rape involved, Allen sighed a little in relief.

"Wish I could remember what happened...." Allen said dreamily.

"Remember what?" came an innocent question from the other side of the couch. Allen panicked, for a moment thinking that it was Kanda that had asked the question. But, no- the voice was too high. Not the deep, mind-numbing vocals of Kanda.

"L-Lavi?"

"Remember what, Moyashi-chan?"

"Wh-what are you doing here?" Allen asked, whispering in slight horror.

"I came here to visit Kanda. But, the door was open. I heard you talking, which made me very curious." Lavi replied, his "whispering" a little too loud for the paranoid Allen's preference.

"What did you hear?"

"That you thought Kanda was going to kill you. Why do you think that?"

"Ehhh...Well.....Umm.."

"I have all morning, Allen."

"Well, last night....after work....I invited Kanda to go for a beer. And he accepted."

"He accepted? Wow, good job, Moyashi-chan."

"Will you listen? But...when we got there, Kanda was being an arsehole, and so I left and made him pay the bill. When I got home...I was....ehh...carrying something....And...it fell and cut my arm. See? And...So I came to this apartment, seeing if my neighbor had a first aid kit. Because I don't and I was bleeding pretty badly. And...Kanda opened the door. I didn't know he lived here. It was rather weird.

"Anyway, Kanda took me to his bathroom to clean and bandage the cut on my arm. He was so.....tender...and almost concerned." Allen's expression softened as he recalled the touch or Kanda's fingers, but then it sharpened, "I think he was already drunk at that time. But, he invited me to continue drinking. He had some whiskey on his kitchen counter...and so we drank. But I don't remember after the first shot.

"When I woke up....I was...._there_," he said, pointing at Kanda, "And Kanda was holding me....so tight in his arms."

Lavi stared at Kanda's peaceful, sleeping face, and then started chuckling.

"And you woke up naked?" Lavi asked, hitting it right on the money. Allen flushed again.

"Heh...eheheheh. I never would have thought that....Kanda was gay, too. I had always hoped....But, this is a surprise. So, did you guys have sex?"

Allen flushed even harder, looking embarrassed and indignant at the same time.

"No!" he hissed.

"You don't really know do you? And judging from the unnecessary scarf around your neck, you two didn't just fall asleep. Can I see the hickey?"

"No!" Allen's voice got a little shriller until he froze and looked at Kanda again.

Still sleeping.

"Well, there is one of two ways to know if you two had sex. One: do you hurt anywhere? No? Okay... Two: Is Kanda wearing pants? Because, you see, Kanda has too much pride to go around pant-less unless he has had sex." Lavi said expertly. Allen narrowed his eyes. Lavi knew way too much about sex between males...Or...maybe painful side-effects of sex applied to both genders? The Brit was leaning towards the former idea.

"Are you....gay, too?" Allen asked suspiciously.

"What? Are you homophobic, Allen?" Lavi teased.

"No. That would be stupid."

"...No...I'm not gay." Lavi leaned over the couch, reaching his hand to Kanda's cheek, stroking it lightly.

"But I would be for him... Or _you_, for that matter. At least long enough to sex you...perhaps at the same time... Both of you are drop-dead sexy. But, I only like one person, right now. And neither of you are it. At least, not at this point." The red-head explained, grinning happily. Allen believed him, regardless of how...disturbing it was. Really...if Lavi, the man who was almost like his brother, wanted to...have sex...with him, Allen would likely commit suicide.

"Given the fact that there are quite a few hickeys and bite marks on Kanda, I would say that you are deathly afraid of when he wakes up. Well, I can help you there, in two different ways. First way....We could make sure he never wakes up..."

"No!" Allen rejected the idea with an expression of horror.

"Or I could stay here, "wake up" on the floor about the time Kanda does...and then claim to be the owner of those hickeys." Lavi offered, shrugging.

"You....would do that for me?"

"It's no big thing. This actually wouldn't be the first time I have done something like..._this_." the red-head said with a wicked grin.

"Poor Kanda..." Allen said automatically.

"Well, if you pity him, then _you_ could stay here, and I could come back later, when Kanda wakes up..."

"No! No, it's fine."

"But...what if he remembers..?"

"I really don't think that he will. Now hurry along, or you will be late for your classes."

"Err...Thanks a lot, Lavi... You've saved my arse." Allen said, leaving the apartment, slightly calmer now.

He went into his own apartment an observed the mess that he had made the previous night. It kind of surprised him that he had done such violent acts. It wasn't that Allen hadn't had a perfectly reasonable excuse for being so displeased...but Allen had never acted as such before.

Stress. It had to be.

Though, there really wasn't that much stress in Allen's life anymore. With his guardian, Cross Marian no doubt half-way across the world, Allen was worry-free. Well, with the exception of the exasperating and infuriating Kanda Yuu.

But, something yesterday had made him start thinking of his life before moving to Canada. Before he had spent five years traveling with his guardian and teacher, Cross.

Back when he lived with Mana Walker....His adoptive father.

Pain struck Allen's heart at the thought of the man. Allen tried to avoid thinking about the man who had been more of a parent than his real parents, who had abandoned him at a young age.

He couldn't remember what it was that had inspired the thoughts about his adoptive father the previous day, but he knew that it had really hurt. By the time Kanda had appeared last night, Allen was desperate for company, regardless of who the person was. Not to mention that Allen was rather desperate for an alcoholic drink of some kind. Something to wipe his mind clear.

That it did, for now Allen couldn't remember a period of time several hours long. Not that it really did anything. Those thoughts were back and they hurt just as much as they had the day before.

The British boy exhaled slowly and left his apartment, his back-pack in hand, ready for his classes.

But at least he had woken up next to the sex-god of the century.


	5. Part Four: Good Thing I Like Challenges

The Hidden Artist

Part Four: Good Thing I Like Challenges

* * *

Kanda heard voices, both sounding very familiar. His head ached something fierce, but he focused on the talking that was going on.

"Are you....gay, too?"

The kid's voice, right next to his face, whispering. He sounded...freaked out.

"What? Are you homophobic, Allen?"

Oh...shit. Lavi?? Kanda felt his headache get worse.

"No. That would be stupid."

Yeah, no shit it would. A homophobic gay kid? Che.

Kanda felt a finger trace softly on his cheek. It felt....almost pleasant, aside from the fact that someone was touching him. He would have punched the person in the face, except he didn't know if his body would respond well enough. It hurt to try to think of moving. And he would likely miss, in his state, and look a fool.

"...No...I'm not gay. But I would be for him... Or you, for that matter. At least long enough to sex you...perhaps at the same time... Both of you are drop-dead sexy. But, I only like one person, right now. And neither of you are it. At least, not at this point."

Oh dear god. Kanda would never let Lavi touch him again. EVER.

"Given the fact that there are quite a few hickeys and bite marks on Kanda, I would say that you are deathly afraid of when he wakes up. Well, I can help you there, in two different ways. First way....We could make sure he never wakes up..."

What? ..._What_?? ......_WHAT_???

"No!"

_Bite marks_?!!

"Or I could stay here, "wake up" on the floor about the time Kanda does...and then claim to be the owner of those hickeys."

_Hickeys_?!

"You....would do that for me?"

_What the hell happened last night_?!!

"It's no big thing. This actually wouldn't be the first time I have done something like...this."

Well, that was true. Baka Usagi had violated the poor Japanese man before.

Wait. _WHAT???_

"Poor Kanda..."

Che...Stupid Moyashi. Pity was useless.

"Well, if you pity him, then _you_ could stay here, and I could come back later, when Kanda wakes up..."

"No! No, it's fine."

"But...what if he remembers..?"

Remember? Remember _what_? That question wasn't likely to be answered. Kanda couldn't even remember after his second or third shot of whiskey with Allen. He thought he remembered a drinking challenge...but not much else.

"I really don't think that he will. Now hurry along, or you will be late for your classes."

"Err...Thanks a lot, Lavi... You've saved my arse."

He heard Allen stand up, felt eyes on his face for a few seconds, and then his steps lead away to the front door.

"Allen is so cute...Don't you think, Kanda?" Lavi asked, poking Kanda in the cheek.

"Don't....touch me." Kanda groaned hoarsely.

"You never really could deal with alcohol very well. Did you seduce that poor kid? He's barely an adult, Kanda. You should feel ashamed."

"I don't remember shit... And I wouldn't seduce that kid if my life depended on it." Kanda growled, pushing himself up from the couch. He felt the blanket slip off of him, but didn't bother to look. He was a little hesitant to open his eyes to the bright of day.

"Given all the marks on your body and the huge hickey brooding on Allen's neck, seduction probably wasn't the first thing to mind. And, hey, you are wearing pants. That is somewhat of a relief. Poor Allen was about to have a heart attack. Hmm...Water and aspirin first, then I will brew some coffee." Lavi said, moving away from Kanda and towards the bathroom.

"Are the blinds closed?" Kanda asked. Lavi muttered an affirmative from the bathroom before Kanda opened his eyes.

"What the hell do pants have to do with anything?" Kanda asked, standing up with some difficulty.

"Stay on the couch, Kanda. I will bring everything to you. Did you not hear that part of the conversation, then? You must have woken up later, then."

"About the time Allen asked if you were gay."

"Oh. Heheh." Lavi actually sounded somewhat embarrassed. That somewhat surprised Kanda...but then he realized that that meant Lavi had been sincere about what he had said.

Uggh. Gross.

"How do you want your coffee?" Lavi asked from the kitchen. Kanda groaned at the sound of clinking glass.

"I don't drink that shit. It is disgusting."

"The caffeine will help with your hangover, Kanda. You know, that kid is crushing on you pretty bad. Though he was utterly scared of the idea of you knowing about the hickeys and the idea that the two of you may or may not have had sex last night, or earlier this morning, he liked the idea of waking up to being held by you in the morning. He also seemed a little giggly at the idea of the way you bandaged his arm last night." Lavi said, bringing over a glass of water and three or four aspirin.

Kanda downed the pills and chased them with water, almost desperately, before answering.

"Sex? Not even being drunk would allow me to have sex, even with the kid."

"So you do like him."

Kanda realized too slow that he had been caught, then shrugged in a half-assed motion.

"I may not remember what happened, but I never completely lose control of myself." Kanda said, as much of a confession as could be received from the stoic man.

"He'll be happy to hear that. You realize....he was completely naked....when he woke up." Lavi said, whispering in Kanda's ear. Kanda froze as a very, very slight blush crept upon his cheeks. It was almost unnoticeable, but Lavi was very keen. He smiled a little at Kanda.

"That was why he was so freaked out. But he was most descriptive of how it felt to have your arms around him. I think he felt quite secure and comfortable about it...." Lavi sounded like he could go on for a while, all to embarrass Kanda, but the Japanese man interrupted.

"Either go and make me coffee or get the hell out." Kanda snapped. Lavi chuckled, but made his way back into the kitchen.

"Do you want to me pick up your clothes, too, or are you going to do that?" he asked, grinning. Kanda growled.

"I'm going to go take a shower."

"Okay, Yuu-chan! I'm going to make breakfast."

Kanda growled again. Stupid, stupid-!

"Che. Whatever."

At least the baka Usagi was making himself useful.

The hot shower did a lot to soothe Kanda's nerves. Examining the bite marks and hickeys on his skin, he smirked. According to Lavi, the kid's marks were worse. Of course; Kanda certainly would never be outdone, by anyone, be he Allen or not. Kanda could take perverse pleasure in the fact that Allen would have to spend the entire day trying to hide Kanda's marks of possession.

Kanda dressed in tight –but not too tight-, dark navy blue jeans and a black shirt and then made his way back into the kitchen, where Lavi was finishing up an omelet.

"It's nothing Japanese, but it is good, I promise." Lavi said happily, setting down a plate and cup intended for Kanda on the counter. Lavi had already started on his own omelet, a cup of coffee next to him.

"Well, dig in. And good morning." the red-head urged before taking a drink of his own coffee. Kanda grumbled something unintelligible and took a drink of the coffee offered to him. It wasn't straight black, but Kanda didn't really mind. He hated coffee no matter what was or was not present in its mix. This, to his surprise, was actually pretty good. Not that he would let Lavi know that.

Kanda picked up his chop sticks –for those were the only utensils he had in his household- and cut into the omelet. That was good as well, but Lavi still didn't need to know.

Already Kanda was feeling much better, his hangover disappearing in the presence of food and caffeine and relaxed muscles. As he took another sip of coffee, he spotted a gleam of silver caught his eye. It was a set of keys, Allen's keys from Lenalee, no doubt, that was on the ground, next to Kanda's white shirt that had been –no doubt unceremoniously- ripped off the night previous. Lavi noticed his stare and followed it to the keys.

"Allen's keys."

"Yeah."

"Suppose he needs those?"

"Not likely."

"Are you going to go into the art gallery this morning, Kanda?"

"Yeah."

"....Are you going to return those to Lenalee?"

"Yeah."

"Does this mean I am going to have to leave?"

"_Yes_."

"Awww....Really, Kanda? Can't-"

"No."

"But you left such a mess-"

"No."

Lavi pouted, fiddling with his own chop sticks. He opened his mouth to speak, but Kanda beat him to it.

"_No._"

"Fine. Guess I will see you later, at work." he said, finishing off his coffee.

"Are....you going to talk to Allen, Kanda?" Lavi asked, sounding curious...and concerned.

"What. Don't tell me you want the kid. You're after L-"

"No, no, I'm not interested in the kid like that. I just want to know. I think it is about time that he experience....someone as dedicated as you can be. And I know you would be, to him, at the very least. So, you gonna confront him?"

"Che. It's nothing of your business."

"Well, good luck. I get the feeling that this might be a little difficult." Lavi said in a sing-song voice as he shut the door.

"Good thing that I like challenges..." Kanda said softly, cutting another piece of his omelet off.


	6. Part Five: Worse And Worse

The Hidden Artist

Part Five: Worse and Worse

* * *

Allen's art class went disastrously.

The professor seemed to be on a collision course for destruction, though not for himself, but for one of his students. The only uncertainty was that no one was quite sure who the victim would be, until the professor began his walk around the class, examining the students' work.

"That line is way too crooked, Mr. Link. Fix it or your piece will be a failure." he remarked, walking past Allen's neighbor. Allen peered over to look at the line in question and snorted after the professor left.

"That line is okay! This is just ridiculous. Why is he targeting our work?" Allen hissed with slight displeasure, though no frown creased his brow.

"I don't know, Walker. But you had better be careful."

"I don't really care. He's just being totally-"

"Mr. Walker! Is this conversation class? ....Well, is it?"

"No, professor, I wouldn't think so."

"Then would you like to explain why you are _talking_?"

"I- Well, I was giving...advice.." Allen replied, moving back to look at his own canvas.

"Perhaps you might keep your advice to yourself. Your so-called artistry is certainly in need of it."

"Errr....Yes, professor."

The professor walked away, admonishing another student for an "aesthetically displeasing color applied in a most horrid manner". Allen sighed harshly and brought up his sketching pencil.

"Bloody wanker..." he hissed under his breath, gritting his teeth.

The Brit brought his attention back to the piece he was now working on. He wasn't sure why he had chosen to sketch this particular image out, but working on it made his heart flutter. His memory of awakening in Kanda's arms was still strong, so that had become his inspiration.

He had the colors chosen perfectly in his mind, all warm and expressive shades of deep blue, black, pale peach and soft pink.

It was embarrassing, somewhat, to think of what the whole image would be, but Allen was content. No one would see it and know exactly what it meant, at least, no one who knew just who the person in the picture was.

Kanda....his toned and usually tense body, relaxed. Long, black hair released from its usual high pony tail, swirling about him in soft waves. Deep, deep blue eyes shining darkly and in the depths, one could see that he had claimed something, something precious and would never let go. Shifting around his body in a wind unseen, Kanda wore a dark hakama very loosely fastened about his waist, exposing the pale lean chest in very slight curves. In swirls around his lean body, pale, pink petals of an unknown blossom fluttered motionlessly.

Allen could see the whole picture in his mind and was quite pleased. His only hope was that it would turn out okay.

"Mr. Walker!! This is not a class for zoning out to another dimension!! Pay attention to your work or _leave_ my classroom!" the professor yelled at Allen, glaring disdainfully at the poor, distracted Brit. He was quite surprised by the outburst and nearly fell out of his seat for it.

"Uh-! Yes, sir, I'm sorry! I will get to work!" the white-haired man yelped, somewhat helplessly and pitifully.

For the rest of the two-hour long class, Allen was the main target of the professor's wrath, mostly because Allen's mind could not help but wander as he finished his sketch.

His neighbor, Howard Link, was vaguely sympathetic, but mainly focused on his own work, so as not to have to suffer the professor's wrath.

When finally the class let out, Allen breathed a long sigh of relief, but it was no where near enough to relax him. He was tense, almost twitchy as he made his way off-campus. He was glad to be going home and since he had no more classes the rest of the day, and it was only noon, Allen had several hours before he was needed to go into work.

For now he would go straight home and-

"Allen!"

Or.....maybe not?

"Alleeeen!!"

"Lavi?"

"D'You just get out of class?" the red-head asked, slinging his arm over Allen's shoulders. Allen nodded in confirmation and looked around curiously.

"What are you looking for?" Lavi asked, cocking his head to the side innocently, or in a move that looked innocent. Knowing Lavi, he was plotting _something_.

"Where's Kanda?" Allen asked, somewhat answering Lavi's question with one of his own. He knew that Lavi and Kanda usually came to the university together...So where was the older Japanese man?

"Oh, well he's-"

"-Right behind you." interrupted the deep voice of Kanda. Allen jumped at how close and how deep (husky?) that voice was. He felt his heart jump to a new pace and a slight blush creep to his cheeks.

Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god-

"Moyashi-chan....why do you look so stricken?" Lavi asked, knowing full well what the reason was. Allen looked over at Lavi, panic clear in his eyes just as much of a question. Lavi shook his head in response, _No, he doesn't know_. Allen sighed, but his heart refused to slow down. Lavi grinned and released the younger man from his arm, turning them both around to face Kanda.

I am a man. I am an adult; I can control myself. I can control myself and not blush like a bloody _school girl_!

"So, moyashi. I see you are not sporting a hangover, despite last night's drinking _binge_." Kanda commented tiredly, though for some reason, Allen sensed hesitance.

He remembers the drinking binge...wait...does he remember anything else?!

"Errr...Yeah. I never get hangovers, at least, not that bad. My guardian- Wait a minute! What was with that _tone_?!" Allen demanded, narrowing his eyes at the older man. Kanda looked a little surprised for a very small fraction of a second.

"Are you insinuating that I can't drink, Kanda?!"

"Oh, yeah. That is _exactly_ what I was saying!" Kanda sniffed sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"I certainly don't appreciate your sarcasm, damn it, and if you're going to be a bloody wanker, I am leaving. I don't want to deal with your stupidity today." Allen snapped, looking as if he was ready to make good on that promise. Lavi looked faintly alarmed.

"Moy- Ehh, Allen. Umm....H-How was your day?" he asked, trying to salvage the situation.

"Absolute shit."

"O-oh. I'm sorry, why is that?"

"Lavi, stop kissing his ass. If he wants to act like a child, _let him_."

"K-Kanda!!" Lavi said with some desperation as Allen turned around and began to walk away.

"Fuck you, Kanda. Fuck you to hell." Allen snarled. Why the hell did the man always seem to piss him off so?? It was stupid and irritating and ridiculous and-

"-Allen! Wait up!" Lavi called.

"What?!"

"Are you going home?"

"Yes."

"Might I accomp-"

"-No."

Lavi sighed audibly, but said nothing more. Allen went on without even looking back.

The rest of the way home, he was fuming, sending off waves of "I'm pissed; touch me and die". Inside his apartment, he collapsed on the couch, closing his eyes and shutting out the sounds of the world. After laying there for who-knows-how-long, Allen stood up, his arms limp at his sides as he made his way over to his cheap, beat-up upright piano. Seating himself at the equally beat up bench, he began playing anything that came to mind, as loud as the piano would allow.

He wasn't sure when he stopped playing and started thinking, but suddenly, Allen snapped up at the sound of a door slamming open and shut. Someone next door was arguing, and quite loudly, with someone else, who didn't seem as if they could get in a single word edge-wise without being yelled at some more.

"Stupid..." Allen muttered in disgust as he began playing again, just as loudly as before. It was a Russian ballet piece, though he didn't care to recall the composer or the name of the composition. It didn't really matter.

A few hours –or was it?- later, Allen had to stop. His cell phone was ringing and his fingers and forearms were aching fiercely.

"Hullo?" he asked tiredly, phone to his ear.

"Hello. Allen?"

"Lenalee?"

"Yeah, it's me. Are you okay?"

"Uhh...Yeah."

"Okay, good. Then why are you two hours late??" Lenalee sounded...rather displeased.

"What? I'm two hours late?! Ahh, bloody hell, Lenalee, I'm sorry! I completely- Agh! I wasn't feeling that well."

"You just said that you were fine." Skeptical. Uh oh.

"Well, I am now...but I wasn't up until a little while ago, and I haven't even looked at the clock since 2:15. I am terribly sorry!!"

Lenalee sighed.

"What is with my employees?" she asked, though it didn't seem as though she was addressing Allen.

"Wh-what's wrong?"

"Neither Kanda nor Lavi have showed up today, although Kanda came by early this morning to drop off my keys. Though, I'm not sure why he had them...I gave them to _you_ last night." Confused and curious. Uh oh again.

"Have you tried calling K-K...ehh...Lavi?"

"Yeah. He didn't answer his cell or his house phone. I'm tempted to dock your pay for this."

"I'm sorry. I will be there in a few minutes. I'm terribly sorry, Lenalee."

"Don't do it again, Allen."

Click. Damn! The day just kept getting worse and worse.


	7. Part Six: Or I Will Beat You Senseless

Hidden Artist

Part Six: ...Or I Will Beat You Senseless

* * *

Stupid, stupid moyashi. What the hell crawled up his ass and died?! Why the hell had he yelled like that, as if I had tried to cause a fight!

Kanda glared at the younger man's back as he ran off like a bitch. Lavi was chasing after him, trying to console the whining child.

What the hell was wrong with him anyway?? Ever since yesterday, he had been moping about and lashing out at people like a hormonal female. Though Kanda wouldn't be surprised if he was, with all his weak, feminine features. His slim waist, thin arms, soft skin-

"Stupid Moyashi." Kanda sniffed.

"I'm sure there is a really good reason for him to be acting this way, Kanda. Hell if I know what it is, though." Lavi said, walking back to the –only slightly- older man.

"Stupid Brit's been doing this since yesterday. Must be a gay thing."

"Are you forgetting this morning's little confession?" Lavi asked, almost teasingly, but mostly reminding Kanda that he was being insensitive and that, technically, he was gay too.

"Che. I don't care about that." Kanda turned away and began heading towards his car. Lavi rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure you don't." he said sarcastically, following his Japanese friend.

Kanda couldn't remember if Allen had said anything about what he was upset over. He didn't think that the Moyashi was being hormonal....but it was a possibility. He had considered that it might be because of Allen's "crush" -as Lavi had put it- on him, but didn't think it very likely. Really, the Moyashi as stupid, but he wasn't _that_ stupid. To get angry at the source of his affections for his own lack of courage to do anything was just childish.

"Shit!" Lavi exclaimed suddenly, when they were both in the car. Lavi had begged Kanda to drive the car, but the older man absolutely refused. Lavi was a reckless driver at best, and Kanda treasured his black '69 Camaro, and didn't wish it an unnecessary and early death at the hands of the disaster-waiting-to-happen.

"What?" Kanda demanded, sticking the key in the ignition.

"The whole purpose of coming to the university was to get you to confront Allen! And then give him a ride home and then possibly have him invite you up to his apart-"

"Shut up, Lavi," Kanda growled as he started the car up, "Or I will kick you out of my car and make you walk." He whipped out of the parking space, scaring the hell out of a few girls as he did, as he almost hit them while backing up, and then raced out of the parking lot, ignoring the white splotch of hair that he drove past.

"You know...I almost hope that you and Allen never get together. I would hate to see him the day after you two have se-"

"Shut up!"

Lavi giggled nervously and began fiddling with the newly-installed CD player. Kanda had a wide variety of music, ranging from many different countries, mainly from the countries that he had lived in previously. Lavi pushed the play button to see what the older man had in his CD player. No sounds came out at first, but then a choir began singing in Latin.

"Opera?" Lavi asked, inclining his head towards the music.

"Che. You're an idiot. You think I would listen to that god-awful screeching?"

"Well, you never know what is going on in the mind of Kanda Yuu."

"You're an idiot." Kanda reiterated, pushing his foot down further on the peddle, making the car accelerate faster.

In spite of Kanda's speed-demon tendencies, he was a very good driver, though, of course, he would accept nothing less of himself. After avoiding a possible crash or two, they made it safely back to the neighborhood of Lavi's house, where his lived with his guardian. Kanda still wasn't sure why he remained with said guardian, but Lavi never really said anything about it.

"Want to come in? I'm making dinner tonight." Lavi offered, knowing what Kanda's answer would be.

"You? Cooking? I'd rather jump off a bridge." Kanda sniffed.

"Aww, come on, Kanda. We both know that you will either go home and microwave something, or go out to a fast-food restaurant. Neither of which are very healthy."

"Either of those two will be healthier than eating something _you_ concocted." Kanda argued, but felt as though he was losing the battle. Neither fast-food nor microwaved meals sounded very appealing, and Lavi really wasn't that bad of a cook, surprisingly. The only chef that surpassed him was Daisya –possibly Lenalee- and Daisya was a trained chef.

"So you admit to eating such things!" Lavi said with a dramatic –and unnecessary- flourish. Kanda sighed harshly, fiddling with his keys, which were still in the ignition. Lavi noted this and grinned.

"Were you hoping to go find Allen-chan and-"

"-Fine, goddamn it! Just shut up already; you're irritating me." Kanda hissed, shutting his car off and pulling the keys out violently.

"I am making rice pilaf, salad, grilled fish –salmon-, and a fruit dish, with wine, tea, milk, water, or juice. If you want, I could add anything to it. I am using one of Daisya's recipes for the sauce that can go either on the fish or the pilaf, or both..." Lavi chattered on, describing his planned meal down to the last detail. Kanda tuned him out as they made their way up to the three story house that only two people lived in.

By some means, he wasn't sure how, Lavi managed to drag Kanda into the cooking process, hoping to teach the man how to cook. Kanda was able to cut up the salad ingredients just fine, but when asked to grill the fish, under supervision, he managed to burn a piece of the salmon. When it was discovered, Lavi picked it off the grill and tossed it to one of his dogs. Kanda watched it scarf down the treat, then look up at him, grinning happily. He felt his lip lift up in a slight sneer of disgust. He wasn't much of a person for dogs. Not that he would hit or hurt the one, because that was low and no man of pride would do such a thing, but the animals always looked incredibly stupid. Stupidity was not something he tolerated.

Meanwhile, inside Kanda's car, his cell phone rang...and rang...and rang, unbeknownst to the cooking duo.

Lavi's cell phone was off, unusual for the particular man, and so, the calls made to his number went directly to his voice mail.

Lavi's house phone received the calls, but as the cooking duo were outside, grilling, with Kanda yelling at Lavi's dog for jumping on him and licking his face, that call was missed as well.

At 7:04, Kanda looked at the clock, and exclaimed violently.

"Yuu?"

"We were supposed to be at work three hours ago, Baka Usagi. Why the hell didn't you remember?!"

"Me?? But-"

"You're supposed to be the freaking genius and remember things, Baka Usagi." Kanda snapped.

"Okay, okay, I will call Lenalee and tell her we are on our way."

"Good."

Kanda could hear Lavi talking to Lenalee -apologizing profusely- as he cleared away the dinner table of their dishes. By the time Lavi was done talking on the phone, Kanda had already put most of the dishes away into the dish washer.

"Apparently, Allen never made it to work either. She finally got a hold of him about ten minutes ago. He was at his apartment. She sounded kind of worried about him, too." Lavi informed him, helping Kanda as he spoke. Kanda put the last dish in the dish washer and then closed the machine. Allen hadn't gone to work either? Was whatever was affecting him, affecting him that badly?

"Hurry up and get ready, Baka Usagi. I have to stop by my apartment first."

"Sure, Yuu! Give me a moment to change!"

What the hell was wrong with Allen?

No point in wondering; Kanda would force it out of the little freakish Brit next chance he had to get him alone. Stupid Moyashi.

"Hurry your ass up!!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Lavi shouted from upstairs, the sound of pounding feet echoing down the stairs as he ran gracefully down to meet Kanda. Kanda turned around and headed out the door to his car.

"Can I drive? Please, Yuu-chan??" Lavi begged, practically drooling over the car.

Every time, Kanda thought in disgust.

"No chance in hell."

They stopped by Kanda's apartment quickly and Kanda ran upstairs, after locking Lavi out of the car, still not trusting him. Kanda went into his room and changed into black jeans and a dark blue, button-up shirt. After this was done, he grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down a quick note, his writing rushed, but never sloppy.

He attached some tape to the folded note and, as he left the apartment, after locking the door, slapped the note on Allen's door as he hurried down the stairs.

"What took you so long?" Lavi asked when Kanda emerged. Lavi was leaning on the car's side. Kanda twitched.

"Get off my car or I will murder you." He threatened, pushing the encroaching, younger man away from his car.

"If you ever have children, Yuu, I pray to God that none of them are female." Lavi said as Kanda unlocked the car. Kanda gave him an odd look.

"Over-protective father?" Lavi queried, trying to incite some thought into Kanda's stubbornly thick head.

"Che. You're an idiot." Kanda sniffed, turning his key in the ignition. Really, where the hell did he get such off-the-wall notions?

"Yeah, you've said as much. But are you saying that I am wrong?" Lavi continued, staying on neutral ground out of desire for a peaceful, but thoughtful, conversation.

"No. But you are still an idiot."

"I guess that I really don't have to worry. If you and Allen work out, that won't happen." The red-head shrugged and moved his attention to the radio, sensing that Kanda would end the conversation, or Lavi would suffer for it.

Kanda didn't argue with him, but nor did he really care. Kanda hated children in any case, the annoying little pests felt to him like being stabbed repeatedly, it was so painful to deal with them. They made him want to shove pencils in his ears....and worse.

"You're an idiot." Kanda repeated, but with a little less venom.

His mind went back to the note that he had written and left on Allen's door. It wasn't like he didn't expect to talk to Allen at all during work, but it was more of a precaution. If he didn't get the chance to talk to the Moyashi, then the note was a back-up plan. If things went the way he planned, the note would be superfluous and he would remove it from its place and throw it away.

_Allen,_

_If you get this, wait your stupid ass right there or I will beat you senseless. I have to talk to you, so don't get any ideas about running away. You have the key to my apartment. Go in and wait or I will kick your ass._

_-Kanda_


	8. Intermission: Daisya

Hidden Artist

Intermission: Daisya

* * *

_  
_Maze Puppet says: _IMPORTANT! READ THIS!! Okay...since this is the intermission, I can put in this little note for you guys. I know that Kanda's birthday was a while ago, and this fic was originally intended to be a birthday fic for Kanda....I didn't get it done the way I wanted, so..Yeah. But there will be a lot of mentions of said foul-tempered Japanese man's birthday "coming up soon"...and that is because it will be. At least...in the fic. So...In spite of the fact that it is delayed...you know.....Happy Birthday Kanda!!! ^_^;; Also, because this was intended to be a birthday fic...And it kind of still is, but since I can't present it in a one-shot form...it's gonna be long. And I mean...Long. Like as long as '_Nightmare_' or '_My Heart'_, if not more so. So, enjoy.  
_

_But...on another note: I haven't been able to say this because of the certain format that I am writing this story in...because it would disrupt the..."flow" of the story....But just because I don't say it doesn't mean that you shouldn't review. I mean...Really...I work my butt off on this story to make it for you guys...So...more reviews, please? A lot? It gives me momentum to write like crazy...and I need that motivation. So yeah...More reviews? Please? **Anyway...On to the Intermission. Enjoy~!

* * *

**  
_

I had an idea about how today would go, but it was only wishful thinking. At least...I _thought_ so.

I woke up early, like usual, and shuffled groggily into the kitchen to start up the coffee maker. While I was in the shower and then getting dressed, the coffee would be preparing itself. I really wanted some orange juice, or at the very least some milk, but due to the competition between Lavi and myself, that was out of the question. I absolutely refuse to lose to him. _Ab-so-lutely. Refuse_.

Of course, normally, the two of us are on great terms. We are the best of buds, no argument. However, lately, we have been at odds due to a certain co-worker.

No, not Allen or Kanda, but Lenalee. Admittedly, the red-head has known her a great deal longer than I have, since I only moved here a while ago, but that hasn't decreased my chances with the Chinese woman in the least.

Well, I'd like to think so.

But Lavi disagrees. He thinks that because he had known her longer, she would trust him more. Personally, I think that their relationship is more of a brother-sister type. Her's and Komui's association with Lavi and his guardian has been purely professional for a while, so why would this change?

Regardless of any sudden realizations –which there were none- I shuffled back into my room. Neither Marie nor Tiedoll were awake yet, which was okay since I was always the first up. Except when Kanda still lived with us. He always beat me. I tried many a time to get up before him, but I think that early-rising was just in his nature. Or maybe he sought to prove...something...to me? Whatever...It's a silly thought.

I took a quick shower, washed my hair and shaved what little stubble grew on my face. Truthfully, I couldn't understand why Tiedoll grew his mustache out in the manner that he did. The face-fuzz was just....wrong. I really didn't like it. Lucky Kanda; he barely grew any hair on his face, much less the rest of his body –what little of it I have ever seen, which wasn't much- but Marie had much the same problem as I did. He didn't like his hair. And he went to the grand extent of taking his dislike of hair to the top of his head. I just didn't like body hair. Or...face hair.

After fluffing my hair up a little –I decided a long time ago that combing it wasn't anywhere near worth the trouble it caused me- so that it looked normal, and then made my way to my dresser. I chose something random from my pile of pants –the item turned out to be a pair of blue jeans- and then something slightly more colorful from my shirts. It happened to be my favorite T-shirt, emblazoned with a flying soccer ball and then name of my favorite soccer team. However, I wasn't wearing these just yet. I still had to go workout a little and play around with my soccer ball, and that would only serve to dirty up those nice clothes.

The coffee, when I tried it, was nothing like Lenalee's –how in the world did she get such flavor from the beans? It was such intense coffee!- but it did the job. I washed out my cup and left it in the sink, making sure first that the coffee machine was still keeping the coffee hot for Tiedoll and Marie, and then made my way to the back yard, where my soccer ball awaited my daily training.

With that done, I took another -shorter- shower and then dressed into the stuff I had chosen earlier.

Conveniently, I didn't have any classes today at the university, so I was permitted to stay home for most of the day, except for at four o'clock, when I had to go into work. So, I decided to start up what would become dinner later today.

I started chopping up vegetables for the stew I planned to make, then put those in the refrigerator. It would be a while before the meat was ready, so those vegetables would be ready when I needed them. I set the meat –still in its package- in lukewarm water and then went to the spice cabinet. I had several spice mixes specially made for stews and soups, but I wanted to try something new. So, I gathered all the spice containers I could fit in my arms and took them to the nearest clear counter space. Then I grabbed a bowl to mix them in and began experimenting.

For the next half-hour, I tasted, tested and rejected many different combonations until I found one that tasted just right. The smoky flavor of the spice with the flavors of the veggies and meat would be perfect.

I spent the next couple of hours preparing the stew, and finally, at 2:30, I set it to cook slowly for the next few hours. I was startled when the phone rang suddenly behind me. Picking it up, I noticed the number was Marie's cell phone.

"Hello, Marie? What's up? How are you?" I asked.

"Hello, Daisya. I'm fine. But I just learned that we are going back to Europe for a while." Marie said, sounding a little confused.

"We?"

"You, myself, and Tiedoll. He hasn't said why exactly but he said it had something to do with something Kanda? I'm not sure. But we are leaving tomorrow, early in the morning. Make sure you are ready."

"Okay. Where is Tiedoll? I didn't even hear you guys leave this morning."

"Neither of us came home last night. We were trying to arrange the flight and hotels, and since Tiedoll is so picky about arranging things like that, we had to drive about two hundred miles to find the agency he wanted, and we couldn't get home in time last night, we stayed over in a motel."

I cringed at the thought of a motel, even though I have seen some pretty nice ones, I have also seen some that are down right disgusting.

"Can't you do that stuff online now? Wouldn't that be easier?" I asked, probably sounding more than a little skeptical.

"Yes, but you know Master. It has to be person to person. Otherwise he thinks that something could go wrong with information." I could almost hear my elder –adoptive- brother shrug, as if I had the super-hearing and not he.

"Well, okay. I gotta go; the stew I'm making is calling for my attention. I will talk to you later."

"Bye, Daisya. Don't stay up too late. We'll be home about midnight or so."

"Hang on a second..." I stopped him before either of us hung up.

"Yeah?"

"Is Kanda going?"

"Master Tiedoll only booked three tickets..."

"Uh-huh. Okay. Thanks, Marie. Talk to you later."

"It wasn't a problem, Daisya. Bye."

I hung up and set down the phone, staring at it.

How odd. Not that Master Tiedoll _wasn't_...but, it was, at the very least, unexpected. Though, I recall that Kanda's birthday was in a week. Maybe he had seen something that Kanda "absolutely had to have" and wanted to bring in his other adopted sons into the gift-buying process.

I just hoped it wasn't something utterly crazy.

The phone rang again, and again made me jump, scaring me half to death.

"Hello?" I answered with a racing heart.

"Hello, this is Lenalee. Is this Daisya?"

"Uhh, yeah! It's me, Lenalee." The race-action pumping of my heart by no means slowed upon hearing who my caller was.

"Hey, I was wondering if you could come in to work early today? I was hoping to open up the gallery earlier than usual, in hopes of attracting more customers." She explained –though it sounded like her explanation was only half-hearted, like she was occupied with something else.

"Umm, isn't it the fact that it is open so few hours that brings in as much business as it does?" I asked, feeling a little bad for correcting her like that, but knowing that a critical mistake could be made in the business management if such a thing -like opening earlier than usual- were to happen. It would throw off the perfect balance that the Hidden Artist had attained

"Oh...yeah. You're right! Hehe, sorry about that. Well, it was an idea. But, I also have something I want to talk to you about, so could you come in early? Like, maybe a half an hour or so? It's about Kanda's birthday."

"Oh. Okay. Sure, I can be there in about half an hour."

"Thanks, Daisya." Even over the phone, hearing her say my name was exhilarating.

"No problem, Lenalee. See you then?"

"Yeah, see you then. Bye."

I hung up the phone, but only after hearing her sigh on the other end, then hearing the sound of the line disconnecting.

All I could think at that moment was:

Hah! Take _that_, Lavi!!

I was victorious, but only for the moment, until I heard the sound of the stew bubbling over.

Wait! Why the hell was the stew boiling like that?!

After cleaning up the mess that the crock pot had caused, I set it on a much lower temperature –enough to keep the stew slowly cooking- and then ran up stairs to make sure that my appearance wasn't ravaged by the cooking process. Luckily it wasn't, so I ran back down stairs and cleaned up the kitchen, putting away all the spices, throwing away all the unusable parts of meat and vegetables, putting away what parts of the vegetables were still usable, and then washing all the dishes I had used.

With all that done, I had about ten minutes left to drive to the gallery to meet up with Lenalee. My heart pounded a little harder at that thought and I grinned in spite of myself.

The phone was still on the counter when it rang again –had not changed places in my cleaning frenzy- and yet it still scared the hell out of me when it rang again.

"Goddamn phone!" I hissed in displeasure before answering it.

"Hello, Daisya?" Lenalee, again?

"Yeah, Lenalee....It's me."

"Okay.... I just wanted to know, have you seen or heard of from Lavi, Allen, or Marie? I can't get a hold of any of them. I was hoping to get them to come early as well, so that we can all discuss what to do."

To do....what? Oh! For Kanda's birthday. Wow, was I a little slow today!

"I haven't heard anything from Lavi or Allen, but Marie is with Tiedoll a couple hundred miles away. They are planning a trip to Europe for tomorrow. Something about Kanda, too. They won't be home until about midnight." I responded, fiddling with the soccer ball on my T-shirt.

"Oh. Okay. Well, if you hear from Lavi or Allen, please ask them to come in early too. You can explain to them why, but be careful not to allow Kanda to know."

"Affirmative, oh mighty planner of plans." I said jokingly. Lenalee laughed pleasantly.

"Okay...I guess I will see you in a few minutes, right?"

"Right. Bye, Lenalee."

"Bye."

Again, I hung up only after she did –ladies, first, of course- and then put the cordless phone in its cradle, then went out the front door, locking it behind me. Marie and I weren't as fortunate as Kanda to live closer in town, because we lived about ten miles out of town. Maybe that was why Kanda moved out.

I jumped in my car and cranked it over, then sped away from the house. Providing traffic wasn't bad, I could arrive at the gallery with a minute to spare.

Unfortunately, traffic seemed to be going the pace of a snail because of a car crash that everyone had to slow down to look at before driving on. Foolish people.

It took me twenty minutes to get to the art gallery, and I couldn't call Lenalee to let her know, because I had absentmindedly left my cell phone in my room in my hurry to get out and get going.

When I finally reached the gallery, Lenalee was pacing in front of Allen's piano, looking worried.

"Lenalee?" I questioned, a little concerned.

"Ah! Daisya! You're okay!!" she cried, running a few paces towards me, as if she wanted to jump up and embrace me, but stopped short.

"I heard that there was a car crash on the road leading from your house and feared-"

"But I am okay." I said soothingly, "I just had a hard time getting here because of the people who had to slow down and stare."

She looked extremely relieved and my blood rushed excitedly. That she had been that worried over me... Until I realized that she would show such concern over any one of our mutual friends. Lenalee was just an all-around loving person and cared for everyone.

She smiled, but then froze.

"You didn't happen to look very closely at the people in the crash, did you?"

"No...They were just cleaning the mess up. All the people had already been transported to the hospital." I said, recalling what little of it I had seen. I wasn't one of the types to sit and stare, but I did notice some things.

"Oh...god...what if Kanda-? Or Lavi and Allen-?"

"Lenalee...You know Kanda. He drives like a hell is chasing him, but he is an excellent driver. I have never met anyone who can drive the way he does. He wouldn't endanger himself or anyone like that. And Lavi has a car, but doesn't like to drive. Heaven knows why, but he just won't drive. And Allen doesn't have a car. So they should be fine."

"But why can't I get a hold of any of them?" she asked, sounding frustrated and worried at the same time.

"I don't know, but don't worry. Now, let's get to work."

"You're...you're right, Daisya. Let's start drawing out plans for Kanda's birthday party."

"Right." I nodded and followed Lenalee to the café.

"Oh...that reminds me, Lenalee. I'm leaving early tomorrow morning."

"Leaving?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at me.

"Yeah...remember I said that Marie and Tiedoll were planning a trip to Europe?"

"Oh..yeah, I remember. Are you going too?"

"Yes, I am. I think we are going to be gone for a few days, but I'm not sure."

"Oh..Okay."

She didn't look troubled. She didn't look like she wanted to me to stay with her and not go. Though it wasn't as if there was any danger in going over to Europe for a few days. But....I guess that I was letting my overly-romantic mindset take too much out of the situation. Damn you, Lavi. You'd better not make any moves while I'm gone.

* * *

Intermission End.


	9. Part Seven: Issues

Hidden Artist

Part Seven: Issues

* * *

Allen relentlessly played the piano, sticking to brighter themes, staying away from the darker, more melancholy songs that he wanted to play. He even managed to fit in a piece that he had written a few years previous. His arms were already aching from playing his upright piano so furiously, but he refused to take a break for any longer than a few minutes.

He got several comments from passing gallery patrons -some he knew, some he didn't- and even a few more tips than usual. Someone said something about his passionate piano playing being wondrous and refreshing, and they chattered on about a job or some such and left a card for him, which was intriguing, but Allen had been mostly focused on playing, not the person or his words.

He saw Kanda a few times as he patrolled around the gallery, watching people carefully and answering any questions asked of him.

Currently, he could see Kanda leaning up against a wall, looking every bit the 'sex-god of the century' –as Allen had called him earlier that day. He couldn't really tell what Kanda was looking at, but it felt as though the older man was watching him.

God...Did he remember or something?

It wasn't that....It couldn't be. Kanda would be glaring...or something. Likely, he would have pulled Allen off the piano and beat him senseless in front of everyone if he did remember.

Allen sighed. He really had no idea what had happened the previous night. For all he knew Kanda had mobbed him and drug him off to do...something. Whatever it was that they had done. Allen certainly would like to know what would involve him being stripped down of his clothes, but didn't involve sex. A few things came to mind, making him blush furiously again.

He sighed again. Too many things were happening at once. Remembering Mana. Not remembering last night. Falling for Kanda. Hating the stupid bastard for being so proud and arrogant and stubborn and beautiful and unreachable. Hating Master Cross for not sending him any letter, any notion that his teacher was still alive and wasn't dead drunk –or just dead- in some ditch in Europe or Asia or India or Africa.

Stupid Master.

Without realizing it, Allen had begun to play one of those melancholy songs. He had no choice but to finish it off, since it would be unseemly to stop in the middle of it and start something else. He looked up briefly and noticed that Kanda was no longer in his corner. Allen quickly searched the gallery to see if he could find the elusive older man, but no such luck.

The composition finished itself under Allen's expert fingers and as he was about to start another, flipping through his many notes, a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey, Moyashi. Take a freaking break already. You look like you are going to pass out."

Allen started and whipped around in his spot. Oh God, why do you torture me like this?

"Kanda?"

"Yeah, no shit."

Allen sighed again.

"What do you want?" he asked, turning back to his piano notes. He flipped through a book, trying to find something he actually felt like he could play that wasn't sorrowful.

"As I said, stupid, you need to take a break or you're going to pass out." Kanda said, shoving a drink in front of Allen's face. Allen started again and stared at the drink. It smelled like something Lenalee had made.

"Lenalee sent you." Allen said more than asked. It looked good so Allen took it gingerly from Kanda's grasp and took a sip of it.

"Yeah. She noticed that you were being stupid, too."

"You're a jerk." Allen sniffed, not without a tiny bit of venom.

"So you've said before, not that that _means_ anything." Kanda replied. Allen was a little surprised that Kanda hadn't moved on yet, or hadn't said anything infuriating yet. Yeah, he had called Allen stupid, but that was nothing new or surprising. He wasn't being outright vicious or rude...

"So...you have any requests to make?" Allen asked harmlessly, sipping his drink carefully. It was very soothing, but it was still very hot.

"Che. No. Though, I might just beat you senseless if you continue to play those cry-baby songs."

Was that Kanda's way of saying cheer up? Or better yet, cheer up or else?

"They aren't songs, Kanda. They are called compositions or pieces." Allen corrected, handing him the empty cup and smiling up at him. Kanda froze, looked at Allen's smile...then looked at the cup and sniffed.

"Take care of your own damn cup." And walked away. Allen smiled again.

Thanks Kanda. You're a jerk...but thanks.

Allen stepped away from the piano, shut the cover, and carried the cup back to the café. Lenalee was serving a group of three teenagers –just a few years younger than Allen himself- who frequented the _Hidden Artist_ and not just for the art. Three local males who hadn't seen a foreign girl before Lenalee came. They were infatuated, which was....cute, Allen guessed. They didn't have a chance, though. Lenalee was very proper and wouldn't even consider seeing someone under age. Allen was fairly sure that Komui would murder any man who tried to make an advance towards Lenalee.

Allen could only remember one time that Komui had even brought up dating. The ensuing conversation had been disturbing, to say the least.

* * *

"Lenalee....my dearest, most beautiful sister....?" Komui had asked innocently.

"Yes, brother? And I am your only sister, you can't call me your "most" anything." Lenalee had replied.

"You...you aren't....dating anyone...are you?"

"What? No, of course not. Why do you ask?"

"_Please don't ever date!!_"

"Brother!"

"But-boys-are-icky-and-only-want-one-thing-and-they-can't-have-that-because-I will-castrate-them-with-a-broken-fork-but-you-don't-know-what-castration-is-how-could-you-when-you're-so-innocent-and-boys-can't-have-you-because-you-are-so-innocent-DON'T-EVER-LEAVE-ME-PLEASE!!!"

"_Brother_!"

"W-well....I...guess you can date....Or get married. But promise me!!"

Lenalee couldn't even say anything due to her horror.

"Marry Allen! Date Allen!"

"W-What?!" Allen had gaped at the Chinese man, his previous silence having been broken by the absurd notion.

"What??!" Lenalee had demanded, looking utterly confused and slightly disgusted. Allen felt much the same. He and Lenalee were like brother and sister. There was no way-! And Allen was gay in any case!

"Yes! Date and marry Allen!"

"You're only saying that because he's gay and wouldn't try anything!" Lenalee had exclaimed in exasperation.

* * *

He reached the counter after the infatuated boys had wandered off to see Daisya standing at his station, behind Lenalee, holding at butcher's knife and glaring dangerously at the boys. Allen laughed nervously and thanked all the gods he could think of that he was gay. The look on Daisya's face said that he desperately wanted to cut up any male in the building that so much as looked at Lenalee in a questionable manner. Gods in Heaven, he was every bit as bad as Komui.

Lenalee didn't look phased in the least, instead she was whipping up the orders of the boys in a few minutes as she chattered at Daisya and then Allen –as soon as she realized that Allen was there. She took Allen's cup, but then stopped.

"Daisya. Didn't I hand this cup to Kanda a few minutes ago?" she asked, cocking her head to the side curiously.

"Uhh...Yeah, I think so."

"Did Kanda make you take his cup back for him??" Lenalee demanded, turning on Allen.

Okay. This was...odd. Kanda had said that Lenalee had made Kanda take it to...him. OH! Allen felt the floor fall out from underneath him as he realized that Kanda had lied in an attempt to be nice –at least, it seemed that way. His head swam crazily for a few moments.

"No....He didn't. He gave that to me....and told me to take a break from playing the piano." Allen said almost breathlessly. Lenalee watched Allen quietly and then slowly grinned. Women's intuition. Allen nearly groaned.

"That's so cute..." she said quietly, still grinning. Allen blushed a little, pursing his lips in embarrassment.

"You should do something in return for him!" Lenalee exclaimed, looking brightly at Allen. He looked at her incredulously.

"What would he _not_ give me a tongue lashing for? Chocolates?" he sniffed, his tone fairly sarcastic. Lenalee frowned at his lack of enthusiasm.

"Well...I don't know." she admitted after a moment's thought.

"I have yet to be able to do anything that did not earn a scowl or a glare or an insult from him." Allen sighed.

"Well, for one who should be grateful for his concern, you are awfully unenthusiastic. Poor Kanda...You're not even trying at all." Lenalee said, sounding sad. Allen looked guilty under the presence of that tone.

"I know, Allen! How about I have you send Kanda a message for me!" Daisya offered, looking up from the sandwich he was constructing.

"Err...Okay. But how is that being nice to him?"

"Tell him that, since I am so busy, I couldn't come to tell you myself, otherwise I would have. Tell him that Marie, Tiedoll and I are all leaving for Europe tomorrow and we will be gone for a few days, but we won't miss his birthday. It was a spur of the moment thing decided by Tiedoll." The health-fanatic explained, smiling at Allen, ignoring the younger man's question.

"Oh! And bring him this!" Lenalee said, handing Allen a tall paper cup. Inside steamed a green-ish yellow liquid that smelled...bitter, but in a good way.

"Tell him that it is something I concocted just for him and I wanted his approval or disapproval." she said, moving off to deal with more customers. Allen stood there dumbly for a moment, surprised by the sudden onslaught of ideas and then sudden abandonment. He felt like a baby bird suddenly pushed out of the nest a week too soon.

He turned around and hurried back to the main gallery, looking for Kanda, who was supposed to be on patrol. However, the tall, beautiful man was nowhere to be found.

Allen questioned Miranda, who said that Kanda had headed into the back storage room for a ten minute break. Allen thanked her and then went to the door at the opposite end of the gallery, where the back storage room was. He opened the door and let himself inside.

"Kanda? Kanda, are you in here?" he called, shutting the door with his foot.

No response.

Allen noticed that the exit on the other side of the room was slightly ajar. He walked over to it silently and poked it open with his finger.

The smell of cigarette smoke assaulted his nose. An image of his Master flashed to the top of Allen's mind. Cross always had a cigarette sticking out of his mouth. Repulsive.

"Kanda?" Allen asked, looking around the door. He saw Kanda's back first, but then the man turned to face Allen.

"What do you want, Moyashi?"

Allen ignored him, looking past him at the owner of the cigarette.

"M-Master?!!"

"Hey, idiot apprentice. I was wondering when I would find you." the tall, red-haired man smoking the cigarette said, waving lazily at Allen.

"Wh-What are you doing here! Last I saw you, you left me in Belgium with five thousand dollars in debt on my head, two years ago!" Allen cried indignantly.

"Duty called, Allen."

"Duty, my arse! I know that Anita called you the night before! You went off to China and left me to those gangsters who you owed money to!" Allen exclaimed, fists clenching, slightly crushing the cup that Lenalee had given to him. Allen noticed the cup and relaxed his grip.

"Oh. Kanda, Lenalee told me to give this to you to test. She made it just for you." Allen explained briefly, before turning back to Cross.

"What are you doing here, Master Cross?"

"What? I can't visit my dear, stupid apprentice?"

"Not if your 'apprentice' had been living on his own for the past two years, being self-sufficient when not even an adult."

"It's not like your method of being 'self-sufficient' was ever _legal_. Really. What would Mana Walker say?"

Allen froze. He glared at Cross, his eyes ice cold and hating, surprising both Kanda and Cross.

"So you're still caught up about that. Well....Idiot apprentice, I just came into town on business. I have work to do with that dear friend of yours, Lenalee's older brother, Komui Lee. Behave yourself." With that, Cross walked off down the alley and disappeared.

"Stupid Master." Allen sniffed angrily. He finally turned back to Kanda, his lips pursed in thought.

"What did he say to you?" he asked somewhat sharply. Kanda finished the drink in his hands slowly.

"He asked me about you. Where you were. If you were here at the moment. How you were doing. Nosy bastard." Kanda said shortly. The briefness of his responses sounded as if Kanda was irritated, but his tone did nothing to betray as much. He just sounded bored.

"Oh. I see," Allen said after a moment, "Well, Daisya asked me to deliver you a message. He said that he, Marie, and Tiedoll are leaving for Europe tomorrow." Kanda looked faintly alarmed for a moment, but said nothing.

"He also said that they would be gone for a few days, but wouldn't miss your birthday. It was a spur of the moment choice made by Tiedoll, he said." Allen finished.

"Che. Foolish old man." Kanda sighed, but there was no malice in his tone. Allen

"So...When is your birthday?" Allen asked, leaning against the wall by the exit door.

"June sixth." the older man muttered.

"Oh. Mine's December twenty-fourth." Allen responded, smiling a little. His eyes were distant though, as if thinking about something else.

"Che."

With that enlightening word, Kanda went back into the building, leaving Allen in the failing light.


	10. Part Eight: Expectations

The Hidden Artist

Part Eight: Expectations

* * *

Kanda didn't realize until after Allen had left the _Hidden Artist_ for the night that he had forgotten to tell Allen that they needed to talk. He sighed harshly as he helped Lenalee and Lavi close up the gallery. Daisya had left early so that he could start packing for his trip to Europe with Marie and Tiedoll, and Allen had left, claiming to feel ill, so the job had been left to the three of them.

"Hey, Yuu, can I get a ride from you?" Lavi asked as he flicked off the lights of the café after wiping down the tables and putting the chairs up.

"Fine. You, too, Lenalee?" Kanda asked the Chinese woman. Lenalee looked up from her purse, in which she had been searching for something.

"Ahh, no. Brother should be sending me a car to drive me home. Thank you, though, Kanda." she said, smiling at the older man.

"Do you want us to wait until the car gets here?" Lavi asked, probably figuring that Kanda would not object. Not that Kanda would...Nevertheless, the Usagi was being rather presumptuous. Lenalee thought for a brief moment before responding.

"You can if you want, but I will be alright if you don't," she said, still smiling, "I believe, though, Kanda, you have some business to attend to with our youngest friend, who is likely waiting for you at home right now."

Kanda stared at Lenalee, almost tempted to ask how she knew, but that would give him away. He figured that he knew how _she_ knew anyway.

_Women's intuition_.

He shook his head in dismissal and folded his arms to wait for Lavi.

"Are you sure?" Lavi asked Lenalee, tilting his head to the side.

"Yeah, Lavi. I will be fine. Good night, Lavi. Good night, Kanda." Lenalee said, ending the matter with a gentle finality. Lavi nodded and quickly embraced Lenalee, pulling her close quickly and then letting her go just as quickly.

"Good night, Lenalee." the red-head said with slight embarrassment. He turned around and walked past Kanda, not looking the slightly older man.

"Night, Lenalee." Kanda said, arching an eyebrow at the blush that adorned both the Chinese girl's face and Lavi's face. Whatever.

"What the hell was that about." Kanda sniffed once the two of them were well on their way to Lavi's house and there was no escape.

"What was what about?" Lavi asked in return, staring pointedly out the window. He didn't even try to go for innocent.

"Fine. Whatever." Kanda slowed for a turn, then sped up, going at least fifteen over the speed limit.

"What was with what Lenalee said to you about Allen?" Lavi asked. Kanda rolled his eyes.

"Fucking women's intuition," the Japanese man muttered in disgust.

"Oh." Lavi laughed.

"So you were going to confront Allen? Like I suggested this morning?"

"Do you want to walk the rest of the way home? Stopping the car and kicking your ass out wouldn't pain me in the least." Kanda asked, glaring directly at Lavi.

"Watch the road, Yuu, please?" Lavi asked, watching the road worriedly.

"Stop calling me that name!"

The rest of the ride was silent. Lavi didn't even make a move for the CD player, as he usually would in an awkward situation in Kanda's car. Kanda pulled up to Lavi's driveway and put the car in park, waiting impatiently for Lavi to leave.

"Well...Good night, Yuu."

"You don't listen _do_ you??"

Lavi shrugged, smiling harmlessly.

"I am hard of learning. See you tomorrow, Yuu. And good luck with Allen." he said as he got out of the car, waving at Kanda.

"Don't hurt him when you see him." With a lecherous wink, Lavi shut the door and hurried to his front door, not quite sure that Kanda wouldn't try to run him over. Kanda revved the engine and pulled his cell phone out of his pants pocket. Sometime during the day, he had turned the sound off, so as to not be disturbed during work. He turned the sound back on now, checking his calls as he drove.

Two calls from Lenalee –probably trying to figure out where the hell her employees had disappeared to-, two calls from Tiedoll –no surprise there, the man called at least twice a day, or texted, just to see how Kanda was doing-, one text message from Marie and one text message from Daisya.

Marie messaged what Kanda already knew; the trip to Europe, blah blah blah. Daisya asked if Kanda wanted to drop by to pick up some stew that he had made earlier in the day.

"Che....Everyone is so concerned with my eating habits. Ridiculous. I am a full grown man; I know how to take care of myself." Kanda muttered sourly. Admittedly, the offer was tempting, but the drive to Tiedoll's would take another fifteen to twenty minutes, and Kanda was tired. He just wanted to get home, never mind to any food offers.

Just as Kanda was about to slip the cell back in his pocket, it rang an unfamiliar tone. Kanda pulled his hand up from his pocket and suddenly recognized the tone. It was one that was horridly obnoxious and been had assigned to play for whenever Allen called. Grinning cruelly, Kanda answered the phone.

"What is it, Moyashi?"

A slight gasp on the other side of the line, as if the caller hadn't quite expected for the phone to be picked up. Or that the caller hadn't quite thought it through before dialing the number.

"Hello, Kanda."

"I'm not going to repeat the question."

"Huh? Oh! Right. Umm...Well....I got your note. The one that you left on my door? I...I'm in _my_ apartment, though. I didn't feel well and I needed some pain relievers."

"Okay."

Allen stammered on his words for a few moments and Kanda could almost feel the kid's emotions through the line.

"I...I do want to talk to you. Kanda."

"Whether or not you _wanted_ to talk was not part of my decision to talk to you, Moyashi."

"Ye-yeah. But....I don't know what you want to talk to me about, but...well, I would have called Lavi...to talk, but...I can't get a hold of him."

"That's because I just drove him home."

"Oh...well. There was always Daisya that I could have called. But I don't have his number...and I am not close enough to him to quite-"

"Trust him?" Kanda asked, leaning his foot down on the peddle, pushing the car past 60.

"Are you driving, Kanda?"

"Yes."

"Oh..I'm sorry...I can-"

"Finish what you were saying." Kanda commanded, feeling a little irritated.

"Right...Sorry. Anyway...there is no one else I can..." The Moyashi faltered, but he did not stop in time to cover the break in his voice. He cleared his throat.

"No one else I can talk to. I need you, Kanda. Can you come to my apartment?"

Kanda couldn't get his mind around the "I need you" part, or even get his mind out of the gutter, as Lavi would put it, but he was just able to grunt an agreement before Allen hung up. He dropped the phone in a random compartment in the center consol and put his hand on the stick shift.

What the hell has happened to me in the past day? That I would have accepted the fact that I- that the stupid kid actually means more to me than a verbal punching bag? And that I would currently be rushing to his side right now because he just might start _crying_ if I don't hurry? That I wouldn't be able to control my thoughts because that same kid just said that he needs me....and in such a _desperate_ voice?

"_Damn_." Kanda hissed, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

I blame Lavi. Fucking rabbit.

He parked in his usual parking space, grabbed his phone and keys, locked the door and then slammed it before heading towards the entrance of the building.

He made it to Allen's apartment in record time and then knocked on the door impatiently. He heard shuffling on the other side of the door and then several locks clicking out of place. The door opened, revealing an almost haggard-looking Allen.

"Jesus, Moyashi. And I thought you trying to get drunk last night was bad. What the fuck's wrong with you?" Kanda huffed, actually rather shocked. Allen laughed weakly and opened his door further to admit Kanda.

"Hello to you, too, Kanda."

The apartment wasn't nearly as much of a mess as the noises that had been made the night previous would allow, so Kanda had to assume that the mess had been cleaned.

"Do you want something to drink? I have drinks in the refrigerator...If you want anything?" Allen offered, trying to make Kanda comfortable.

"No." With that, Kanda continued standing by the door, waiting.

"Right....Down to business, huh?" Allen muttered, moving over to sit on the couch.

"You _can_ sit if you want. It might be a bit more comfortable."

Kanda made an odd noise in his throat and moved to a recliner chair opposite Allen.

"So what the fuck has been wrong with you? Why have you been acting so much like a spoiled little brat?" Kanda demanded after a few moments of relative silence.

"Ahh..Well, that was what I wanted to…talk about. It's just…I kept remembering…something from my past. Well, you see, when I was young….My birth parents abandoned me not long after I was born. I kind of grew up on my own somehow, going from foster family to foster family, but none lasted very long…. When I turned eight….I met my adoptive father…."

"You mean that red-haired freak who was bothering me this afternoon?" Kanda asked, arching an eyebrow as he stared off at the beat-up upright piano in the corner.

"Huh? You mean Master Cross? No, no, he is more like my…teacher. No…He came along later…after my adoptive father…."

Allen stopped. Kanda finally looked over at Allen and noticed the pained expression that adorned the kid's face.

The Brit stood up suddenly and moved away from the couch, clenching his fist. Kanda watched him with narrowed eyes.

_Now_ what the hell was his problem?

Allen was quiet for a long time, back turned to Kanda. Kanda almost lost patience, but Allen then spoke.

"Sorry. It's…still really difficult to talk about for me. Even though it has been almost ten years." Allen said quietly. Kanda almost rolled his eyes. The kid took things too seriously.

"I don't quite remember when it happened, but about the time I turned eight, I met a traveling circus. I joined up with them, and became a part-time clown of sorts. One of the other clowns there was named Mana…"

Kanda cocked his head to the side, recognizing the name that the kid's master had said earlier.

"_What would Mana Walker say?"_

Mana….Walker? So did Allen get his last name from the traveling clown?

"So he adopted you." Kanda said bluntly.

"Ehh…Yeah. After a while. We knew each other for about a year before he took me in." Allen said, nodding a little. He hand unclenched a little, as he recalled old –obviously more pleasant- memories.

"Mana… was always there for me. He took care of me, taught me everything he knew. He meant so much to me. He was the closest thing to a father that I have ever had. I even considered him my father for a while."

Kanda sighed. It reminded him faintly of Tiedoll. _Big-hearted fool_.

"But then…a few years later….There was a terrible accident. M-Mana…he got hurt. There wasn't anything that could be done. Afterwards…He died on the scene of the accident. At the age of twelve…I was left alone again. But the way he died…."

Allen stopped again, his voice cracking.

"So that is what has you acting like a child."

Allen growled. He turned around sharply to glare at Kanda

"Why do you have to be such an insensitive-!" He stopped again, sighing. Kanda could almost see Allen reeling himself in, his body shaking ever-so slightly.

"I don't care what you think has been going on with me. You can go on being an arsehole all you want. Just do it out of my apartment." Allen said dismissively, moving into his kitchen. Kanda didn't move, staying right where he was, staring at the upright piano.

He listened to Allen moving about the kitchen as he did something –Kanda wasn't quite sure- being quite noisy as he worked. He didn't know really what to do, but he knew for sure that he wasn't leaving just yet.

A little while later, Allen made his way back into the living room, shuffling tiredly, and looked up.

"Ehh? Why are you still here, Kanda? Thought I asked you to leave."

"You never said anything about leaving, Moyashi. You said something in your ridiculous accent about being an asshole elsewhere, not that I cared to listen to you." Kanda said, smirking at Allen.

"Ugh. You're a jerk. You want anything to drink, since you don't plan on leaving any time soon?" Allen huffed, giving in to Kanda's stubborn attitude.

"Tea, no sugar."

"Heh. Fine. I'll be right back. Anything to eat?"

"No."

Kanda felt his eyes slowly drooping down, his body being overcome by exhaustion. He had probably stayed awake for far too long the night previous. And dealing with Allen and Lavi's antics all day had done nothing to preserve his energy. Kanda sighed and relaxed into the recliner.

"So..Kanda, how did you come to work at the _Hidden Artist_?"

Allen's voice snapped him back into the wakeful world. Apparently he had almost slipped into sleep. The kid was handing him a cup of steaming tea in a porcelain white coffee mug. Allen bristled a little at Kanda's expression at the coffee mug and said stiffly, "A poor college kid can't afford expensive or nice things, you know."

"Whatever."

"So?"

"So what?"

"How did you come to work at the _Hidden Artist_? Doing what you do?"

Kanda tensed, thinking for a moment that Allen was talking about his work as _the_ Hidden Artist, but realized that there was no way that Allen could know.

"The old man that I used to live with, Tiedoll, knows Komui and recommended me."

"That simple, eh? But did you really want to be just a security guard?" Allen asked, his look of curiosity the only thing preventing Kanda from actually being insulted. _Just_ a security guard? Really?

"Che. I grew up with an artist, so I know a few things about art."

The kid was silent for a while, sipping at his tea. Kanda was reminded of his own tea and took a small drink. It wasn't that bad. _For a poor college kid's tea_, Kanda thought with a little amusement.

"Do you know who the Hidden Artist is?" Allen asked suddenly, still very much curious, interrupting Kanda's train of thought. That look on his face…was kind of…cute?

Kanda cringed at the thought.

Apparently Allen mistook the expression as denial.

"So you don't?"

"Are you really that interested in this Hidden Artist person?" Kanda sniffed. Yes, he might be the artist in question, but never-the-less, the kid put way too much into the whole situation. It wasn't as though he really cared about the whole thing. However, Komui had signed him into a contract that stated Kanda couldn't tell anyone that he was the Hidden Artist. Komui got the name for the art gallery, and Kanda was saved from being mobbed by the media. The town's newspaper editor and reporter were rather fanatical about the Hidden Artist, so Kanda kept his identity -and private life- safe.

"Well, I just think that his, or her, art work is just amazing. It is so expressive, but you can't quite grasp those emotions if you just look at it and expect a normal picture. It catches you off-guard and hits you with the full brunt of those emotions when you least expect it. It is such amazing work…." Allen said, his voice filled with awe and praise. Kanda almost felt himself start blushing, but fought the urge. The kid practically worshipped his work. What a freak.

"I suppose you fancy yourself some sort of art expert or something?" Kanda asked, sounding a little defensive in his own opinion. It was rather ridiculous to be acting like this, but the Moyashi didn't seem to notice.

"No. I just like his work. I'm taking an art class and I have done some painting myself….And sometimes I do compare my work to his. Though I can draw and paint just fine, nothing I do can hold a candle to his artistry."

Shut up already! Kanda felt like strangling the Moyashi. They were just pictures! Nothing to get stupid over.

"Che. You're an idiot."

"Yeah…Thanks Kanda." Allen sniffed. Kanda finished the rest of his tea and thrust his cup at the kid. He eyed the cup with a little curiosity.

"You want more tea?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I'll be right back. It will take a few minutes to brew the tea, though, just so you know."

"As if I haven't made tea before." Kanda remarked, not without a little disdain.

Allen sighed and made his way back into his kitchen.

By the time Kanda had moved to Canada, he was proficient at artistry. He was almost as good as Tiedoll himself –lacking in the obvious experience, since Tiedoll exceeded him in years almost four times over. But Kanda had no real interest in being an artist –hidden or not- for the rest of his life. That did not sound, well, exciting to him.

Kanda felt his eyelids slowly closing.

_Just_ a security guard? Well, Kanda didn't want to be just a security guard. There were so many other things that he could do. He had had training in dozens of fighting styles –ranging from swords to katanas, throwing stars and daggers, fists and other body parts, archery, javelins, crossbow…you name it, Kanda knew it. He had mastered nearly every one of them as well. He knew how to unarm and disable an opponent with lethal and non-lethal force. He could probably kill a man with his own hands and not break a sweat.

A gentle darkness took hold of his consciousness, pushing him into sleep.

_Just_ a security guard? Kanda was a teacher at the university –though he could probably be called more of a coach, he guessed- and taught a physical education unit that touched on many different martial arts as well as body training, and he was also a student there. He wasn't a genius, but he could outwit Lavi if he tried. Kanda was well-equipped to excel in nearly every field he chose. Of course he wouldn't be a scientist or an astronaut –both sounded excessively boring in his opinion- but he was good at what he did.

_Just_ a security guard? What more did the kid want from him?

The dark of sleep was complete; encompassing Kanda, blocking out the stressful events of the day.

..Just what…..would it take….for the kid to open himself up to Kanda…?

* * *


	11. Part Nine: Displeasure

The Hidden Artist

Part Nine: Displeasure

* * *

Allen went back into his living room to discover Kanda passed out on his recliner, fast asleep. He couldn't help but smile at the scene. The normally uptight Japanese man was relaxed. As Allen got closer he noticed Kanda's lips were parted a little, the toned chest rising and falling slowly in a perfect rhythm.

"So much for tea," Allen said softly. He went back into the kitchen and deposited the tea cup into the sink.

Now…Should Kanda be woken? Or just left alone?

Allen sighed. Either way Kanda would be grouchy and pissed, so it would likely be better to leave it until morning. The Brit made his way back into the living room, pursing his lips in thought as he watched Kanda sleep quite peacefully.

"I think I have a spare blanket somewhere. But should I move him to the couch, where he will likely be more comfortable?" Allen wondered aloud, shuffling over to the small closet just inside the hallway that lead to the bedroom. There was one blanket and it was one of Allen's newer-nicer- ones. It was a deep, dark blue, soft and fuzzy fleece one that he had purchased just last month. He unfolded it and fluffed it out, snuggling it close to his face. Soft, for sure it was.

Shuffling back to the living room, Allen could just barely make out Kanda's soft breathing over the noises of the outside. Not that there were many noises outside at this time of night, as most –sensible- people were fast asleep in their beds.

"As I wish I was…" Allen said with another sigh. He shook out the blanket, sending it into the air over Kanda. It slowly floated down to come to a rest on the sleeping figure. The white-haired, barely legal man pulled the blanket up carefully to Kanda's neck, tucking the older man in with gentle movements.

A sudden exhale of air from Kanda made Allen twitch in surprise, eyes widening fractionally. The warm breath travelled over his skin like slowly rolling cotton, making Allen's skin tingle and goose bumps to form on his entire left side. Allen felt his heart clench ever-so-slightly, his breath coming in short bursts.

"K-Kanda…." Allen murmured quietly. He rested his hand on Kanda's collar bone, feeling the slight heart beat that sounded in the older man's chest. The warmth that surrounded Kanda's intoxicating body was breath-taking.

Allen backed up haphazardly, almost crashing into his table.

"I think it is time that I went to bed." he muttered to himself.

"G-Good night, Kanda."

He went to his room and immediately stripped down and then put on his pajamas, a simple pair of cloth pants and no shirt. It was comfortable enough. Allen lay down in his bed and thought in silence.

He felt….frustrated for some reason. There was too much distance between him and Kanda. Admittedly, they were a hell of a lot closer than they had been a few weeks previous, but…was it enough?

"Enough? Enough for what?" Allen asked, rather puzzled by the thought.

Indeed….Enough for _what_?

* * *

Allen awoke early enough in the day to find a displeased Kanda standing over him.

"Aagh-! Kanda! What the hell are you doing in my room??" Allen demanded as he jumped up and slid as fast as he could across the bed to hit his back against the wall at the end of the mattress.

"I'm wondering what the hell I'm doing in your apartment, Moyashi." Kanda said coldly, his arms folded over his chest, glaring down at Allen. Allen couldn't have felt anymore confused at that point. Indeed, what was Kanda doing in his apartment? After a moment's thought, Allen was able to recall.

"Oh! You fell asleep on my recliner! I didn't want to wake you up…well, because you probably would be pissed off at me. So I decided to wait to receive your wrath for the morning. Seems, though, that a night's sleep didn't do much to prepare me for it." Allen explained, feeling a little sheepish as he scratched the back of his neck.

Allen noticed an odd expression on Kanda's face, then noticed his lack of shirt. Oh hell.

"What the fuck is with that scar, Moyashi?" the Japanese man asked, looking directly at Allen's upper arm-shoulder-chest with a critical eye.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." Allen replied lightly, reaching past Kanda to grab the clean button-up, white shirt on his bed-side table.

"Che. Would that have something to do with that accident with your father?"

"Adoptive father, and no; it's none of your business, Kanda."

"Teme, Moyashi." Kanda sniffed, growling out the words in his foreign language.

"Speak English, Kanda, we _do_ live in Canada." Allen said with a sigh as he slipped off his bed. He didn't bother buttoning up his shirt, after all, he did intend to take a shower as soon as he shook off Kanda.

"Che, you're not being very hospitable, Moyashi." Kanda growled, much to Allen's dismay. It seemed as though it would be a while before he would be able to get rid of the older man, though Allen really wasn't sure _why_ he was sticking around.

"I just woke up to one on the most unpleasant faces in all of Canada and you expect me to be cheerful and joyous?" the younger man asked. Allen made his way out of his room and Kanda followed faithfully. At the sound of his footsteps, Allen rolled his eyes.

"Look, Kanda, I have a class in about an hour, so if you would please?"

Kanda stiffened. Allen felt the air of the room suddenly grow thick and heavy with Kanda's obvious displeasure.

"Wha-?"

* * *


	12. Part Ten: Arrogant Brat

The Hidden Artist

Part Ten: Arrogant Brat

* * *

"Wha-?" Allen asked, turning around to face Kanda. Kanda glared.

After he had risked his pride….

The arrogant brat was just brushing him to the side like…like…an insect!!

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Kanda demanded, his voice dripping with distaste and rage. He walked right up to Allen, grabbed his unbuttoned shirt and slammed the much smaller man into the wall.

"Wha-What do you mean? Get your bloody hands off me!" Allen hissed, much like a pissed off cat, glaring first at Kanda's offending hand and then straight into his eyes.

"I refuse! After all that I- After what Lavi-!" Kanda froze, glaring down at Allen, realizing what he had almost done. Almost said and admitted. Admitted to the fact that he actually took advice –when it didn't involve utter insanity-, sometimes, from Lavi. The side of his mouth twitched up in a sneer of disgust.

"You must be blind, Moyashi. Get your head out of your ass." After a moment of shocked silence, Kanda continued.

"And realize this: You're mine!" With that, Kanda crushed his lips against Allen's in a brief, bruising kiss of frustration. He let go of Allen's shirt and slammed his hand against the wall near Allen's head. He pulled away from Allen, who had just begun to react to the kiss.

"And not a fucking thing will stop me, you got that?! You sure as hell can't complain, because I know that you-" Kanda hesitated again, his lip twitching again.

"You'd better not fucking complain or I will kick your ass." he corrected, backing off, moving away from Allen. The kid looked shell-shocked, to say the least. Kanda would have smirked, were it not for the fact that he was so pissed…and insulted…and frustrated! Arrogant little Brit.

They stared at each other for the longest time; one speechless and shocked, one quiet and waiting, both breathless.

"I…I don't understand… This is so crazy." Allen laughed a little.

"Che. That's only because you're too _stupid_ to understand." Kanda sniffed.

"So….Do you remember…that night…When we got drunk…-er? In your apartment?" the Brit asked, clearly ignoring the snide tone in Kanda's voice.

"Che. No. But I can figure what happened." the Japanese man said somewhat derisively.

"So…It's kind of like 'Oh…you're gay? Guess what so am I, let's be the best of friends.'?" Allen asked, leaning his back against the wall. The kid looked surprisingly calm. Perhaps he didn't quite believe the situation. Truthfully, Kanda almost couldn't either. It didn't _feel _like he had just…well..molested the Brit.

"No, idiot. Che, it's not like I have ever been interested in women anyway. They are too much of a nuisance." Kanda replied, shrugging nonchalantly. Allen arched an eye brow at him. Indeed, he was way too calm. The situation was, as he said, a little crazy.

"If Lenalee heard that, she'd likely hurt you."

"Are you intending to tell her?" Kanda asked with narrowed eyes.

"Doesn't seem important or ever pertinent to do so." Allen shrugged, his motion almost identical to Kanda's. Was he mocking Kanda?

"Hmph." Arrogant Brit.

"So what?"

Kanda twitched.

"What do you mean 'so what'?" he asked.

"Where does this _heart-felt_ _confession_ put us?" Allen asked in return.

"Who cares?"

Allen sighed. Kanda rolled his eyes at the boy.

What was the kid expecting? A knight in shining armor –Kanda gagged at the thought; armor was for weaklings- to sweep him off his feet and into the bedchamber? _Wrong_.

"Well, Moyashi. You gonna sit there all day? Or are you going to go to your class?"

"Oh! Right. It's my art class again. We meet three times a week, all consecutively."

"You said something about your art class last night…" Kanda remarked, rather idly. Allen gave him a look of confusion.

"Yeah, so I did. What of it?"

"Che. Nothing, Moyashi."

Allen went into his bathroom and, before closing the door, he said loud enough for Kanda to hear; "I am going to shower now, Kanda."

"Whatever." Kanda responded, even though the door had already closed. He didn't care if Allen heard him or not. Kanda heard his phone in his apartment ring, and so left Allen's to go to his own. He quickly unlocked the door with deft fingers and then took two swift strides to the phone and answered it.

"Hello?" he queried.

"Hey, Yuu. It's Tiedoll, your dear father."

"You aren't my father. And don't call me that."

"I adopted you, so logically, you are my son and I am your father! Yuu is your name, Yuu, what else am I to call you?"

"Whatever! What do you want!"

"I wanted to see how you were. If everything is doing okay. Are you eating well? I know you don't eat well, Yuu. You always go out for fast food or that instant food. It's not healthy, Yuu. You should know better than that!"

What was with people in being so concerned for eating habits, of all things? Honestly, Kanda went out to a fast food place once and instantly everyone knew. Damn that Lavi and his big mouth. It wasn't like Kanda ate the fast food slop that the Americans produced. It had been a sushi bar, for god's sake.

"I'm about to eat a nice, healthy Japanese breakfast, as soon as you stop bothering me with your foolish parental attempts." Kanda said impatiently.

"Don't you love me anymore, Yuu-dear?"

"Che. Are you _done_?"

"You don't deny it? Daisya! Daisya, Yuu just said that he loved me!"

"I did not!!" Kanda denied vehemently, growling into the phone.

"Oh, my life is complete! I can die a happy old man, now! I love you too, Yuu!!"

"Go die already then!!" Kanda snapped.

"How can I? I have to take care of my dear sons Marie and Daisya! And I have to make sure that you graduate from the university and then get married and have children and grow old and die a peaceful death! For all three of you!"

Kanda twitched. He really hoped that the old man wouldn't stick around that long. If he outlived Kanda….That would be a miracle. He was pushing sixty as it was. Of course, Kanda really didn't hope that he would die. The old man had been a large part of his life for over half his life. He had cared for Kanda, Daisya, and Marie unconditionally. He had sacrificed a lot for them as they had grown up, and likely would have sacrificed more if it had been needed.

Feeling a little guilty –annoyingly so- Kanda allowed the old man to chatter in his ear for ten minutes, listening intently and commenting every so often. The old man talked excitedly of France and Paris and a cute little girl that Daisya had met. Kanda almost had to chuckle at how Tiedoll insisted that she was Daisya's match. He could almost hear Daisya groan in the background.

Kanda knew that Daisya had an interest in Lenalee, much like Lavi. It had to be awkward for Daisya. To deny any feelings for the "cute girl" would raise suspicions and Tiedoll would inquire further. To admit that he was interested in Lenalee would send the old man into hysterics. That was something that Kanda had the misfortune of being the center of attention for. It was not enjoyable in the least.

Kanda heard a noise at his door and turned to see Allen watching him. Silently. Motionlessly. With a very interesting expression on his childish face. Kanda stared back at Allen, feeling very thoughtful. Right as he was about to say something to Tiedoll about hanging up, so that he could talk to Allen before he left, Allen waved his hand and disappeared. Kanda nearly growled. He had missed his opportunity, for both escaping the blathering father-figure and for speaking to the kid. He really wasn't sure what he was going to say, anyway, so he supposed that it really didn't matter.

"Old man, I am going to hang up."

"Oh? Oh, that's right, you haven't eaten yet. It's past noon over here, so we have already had lunch and breakfast. Well, good bye, Kanda." Tiedoll said, a cheerful smile in his voice.

"Whatever. Bye." Kanda hung up and grabbed his car keys, then rushed out of his apartment. He hurried –with dignity- down the stairs and caught up to Allen.

"Oi, Moyashi. You don't have a car, so I'll take you to the university." Kanda said, his tone permitting no argument. However, it seemed like Allen had an agenda of his own.

"Umm…I think that I can walk just fine, Kanda. Thanks, though." Allen said, giving Kanda another odd look.

"Shut up and just follow me to my car."

"Look, Kanda, I appreciate it, but….Well, you just woke up, you haven't eaten, you haven't changed, and you haven't…well, showered, either. Wouldn't you prefer to do those first, before going anywhere?"

"Che. You want a ride or not, Moyashi?"

"Fine. But I really wish you wouldn't call me that. My name is Allen, Kanda." The kid said with some irritation in his tone.

"Huh. Who cares?" Kanda said with a careless shrug, making his way to his car. He could hear Allen's footsteps, following him obediently.

"Your hair is a mess."

"Shut up."

"Aren't you going to fix it?"

"…"

"I never knew you to be so careless with your style."

"….."

"I thought your pride would never allow that."

"Moyashi…"

"Yesss?"

"Shut. _Up_."

"Okay."

Kanda unlocked his car after breaking his death glare from Allen and got in. Allen followed suit.

"This is a very nice car, Kanda. I think I'm in love…" Allen said, running his hands over the leather seats and the dash board.

"Don't get too grabby, Moyashi. It's still my car." Kanda sniffed, sticking the key into the ignition and turning. He looked over at the kid as the car cranked over to see him looking back. Kanda flicked his gaze from Allen's lap to his face.

"Seat belt, Moyashi? It would be unfortunate for my upholstery if you managed to hurt yourself while I was driving."

"What, are you a crazy driver?" Allen asked, arching an eyebrow at the older man.

"See for yourself." Kanda said briefly before racing out of his parking spot and heading off down the street towards the university at the edge of town.

The university was buzzing with lively, young adults heading towards classes, buildings,car, or other such things. Kanda parked near one of the larger buildings and waited for Allen to get out.

"Thanks for the ride, Kanda. I'm about ten minutes early, so I can go talk to my councilor....Talk to my art teacher.... Thanks, Kanda."

"Yeah, whatever. Get your ass out of my car."

"See you later, Kanda." Allen said, rolling his eyes as he got out of the car. When he shut the door, Kanda revved the engine, scaring several of the students. One or two of them recognized him -probably his physical training students- and waved as he drove off.

Speaking of his physical training class....Kanda tried to recall when the next time he had any of his classes, as a teacher or as a student. The last one was two days go, so the next would be.....

Two o'clock today.

He had time to go back home, take a shower, eat some breakfast, and then head back to the university.

Kanda looked in his rear-view mirror at the receding university.

"Moyashi..." he sighed.

Now what?

* * *


	13. Part Eleven: The Secrets of the Artist

The Hidden Artist

Part Eleven: The Secrets of the Artist

* * *

Just eight or nine minutes before his art class ended, Allen finished his piece. It was the portrait that he had painted of Kanda. He had long since become used to the idea that Kanda was the object of the painting, since he had to look at the image for hours on end for the past few days, but that didn't stop his heart from pounding every time he did look at it. With every look at the pale, serious face reminded him of that mornings events.

Had that really happened? Did Kanda really kiss him? And claim him with harsh, deep-feeling words?

Allen shook his head and picked out a box to send his painting in. Since he had to walk to and from the university, he couldn't very well carry the portrait home. After his professor had graded the portrait, giving the Brit an odd look for it, Professor Leverrier had permitted Allen to take it home. Therefore, Allen was readying the portrait to have it sent home.

Carefully placing the artwork in it's box, Allen's mind went back to Kanda.

He could still feel Kanda's lips on his. He could still feel the hardness of Kanda's well-toned body pressing him up against the wall. The brush of air across his cheek as Kanda slapped his hand down against the wall by Allen's head. The bruising force of Kanda's lips and the frustration that backed them. Though Kanda had basically attacked Allen, it still set his heart pounding in his chest.

He didn't understand Kanda's strained words, though.

"_What the hell is wrong with you?!"_

"_I refuse! After all that I- After what Lavi-!"_

"_You must be blind, Moyashi. Get your head out of your ass."_

"_And realize this: You're mine!"_

Of course, the last thing said was easy enough to understand. Kanda -by no means- ever did anything in halves. So for his act of possessiveness, it was obvious. He would never "share" and he would never let go. In a way, that was very...heart-warming. To know that Kanda wanted him that much.

But what in the _world_ had set him off? Allen hadn't said anything...hadn't done anything to have triggered such a violent explosion.....Had he?

Allen tried to remember what he had said that morning after his rude awakening by Kanda.

"_Aagh-! Kanda! What the hell are you doing in my room??" _

"_I'm wondering what the hell I'm doing in your apartment, Moyashi."_

"_Oh! You fell asleep on my recliner! I didn't want to wake you up…well, because you probably would be pissed off at me. So I decided to wait to receive your wrath for the morning. Seems, though, that a night's sleep didn't do much to prepare me for it."_

"_What the fuck is with that scar, Moyashi?"_

"_It's nothing. Don't worry about it."_

"_Che. Would that have something to do with that accident with your father?"_

"_Adoptive father, and no; it's none of your business, Kanda."_

"_Teme, Moyashi."_

"_Speak English, Kanda, we do live in Canada." _

"_Che, you're not being very hospitable, Moyashi."_

"_I just woke up to one on the most unpleasant faces in all of Canada and you expect me to be cheerful and joyous?"_

"_Look, Kanda, I have a class in about an hour, so if you would please?"_

After that....Kanda had snapped.

Admittedly, Allen had not been the most...hospitable of hosts, considering that Kanda had been in _his_ apartment. He could have offered Kanda breakfast....coffee....early morning conversation. Anything would have been better than the way that he had brushed Kanda off.

Allen felt a guilty pang in his chest. He would have to apologize to Kanda for that.

Sighing, he sealed up the box the rest of the way. The timer on the professor's desk had just rang, alerting the students that the class was over. Allen sneaked a peek at his watch before heading to his main desk to grab his book bag. It was only a few minutes before three, so he had time to send off his portrait, get home, take a shower, and then walk to the _Hidden Artist_ gallery.

"Hidden Artist..." he mused aloud. Truthfully, he hadn't given much thought to who the Hidden Artist was the past few days. Not that the last few days had been anything but hectic and insane -as if this morning were any clue, he thought miserably-, prohibiting any thought that didn't center around Kanda -_oh god is he going to kill me?_- and Mana -_oh god why does it hurt so much?_- or Cross' random and nerve-wracking appearance.

But really; who was the Hidden Artist? Logically, it could be anyone. If they had any desire to keep their secret hidden, then no one would know that they had any artistic inclination....But then again they could be hidden in plain sight and no one would know.

Allen's head spun a little at the excessive thoughts. He shook his head in dismissal.

For all he knew, Komui could have hired the guy -or girl?- from some other country. Maybe the person sends his or her work from over seas. It wasn't as if it was overly important, though. The _Hidden Artist_ gallery still had a lot of income, the Hidden Artist aside.

"Still bothers at my nerves, though. I want to meet the guy." Allen mumbled to himself, shaking his head once again.

"Allen-chan!!!" an obnoxiously familiar voice called from behind the Brit. Allen turned around to face his caller.

"Hay, Lavi. What's up?"

"Hi, Allen! Nothing much. I'm glad to see you are feeling in a better mood." Lavi said, smiling widely -and somewhat creepily- at Allen.

"Better mood? Oh yes, that's right. You caught me in a bloody awful mood yesterday. Forgive me for that." Allen admitted, smiling and wincing in apology.

"Heh. Allen, your British is showing."

"_Huh?_ Oh, Lavi you-!" Allen lightly punched the red-head in the shoulder.

"Hehehehe...Sorry Allen, I had to."

"Right. Anyway. What do you want, Lavi?"

"Well, I heard you mumbling earlier. I'm just curious to see what it was you were talking about." the red-head admitted happily, leaning against Allen. Allen took a step to the side, away from Lavi's encroaching presence, and smiled back.

"I was just wondering about the Hidden Artist."

"You mean the _Hidden Artist_'s Hidden Artist?"

Allen gave Lavi a look of slight annoyance.

"Ohh, yeah. Okay, so you're wondering who the guy-" ("-Or girl-" Allen corrected) "-is? Well, there's only one way to find out!"

"And what would that be?" Allen asked in spite of himself. He really wasn't quite sure about the slightly -or entirely- insane red-head's plan, but he was curious.

"All we have to do is check Komui's records of employee payment. Because technically, the Hidden Artist is an employee, and for each one of his-" ("-Or her-") "-paintings that gets sold, the Hidden Artist is paid some percentage of the profit. So, we just need to get into Komui's office and check his records and find out where this guy-" ("-_or girl_-") "-lives. Then it is a simple matter of going there and checking him-" ("-Do I really need to continue correcting you?-" Lavi frowned, but continued) "-out."

Allen was a little surprised by the idea. It was so simple-

Wait.

"Komui's office is a mess!! What makes you think that he keeps records of those kinds of things?! And how are we to get those, anyway??" Allen demanded, creasing his brow in disapproval.

"Well, you know that Lenalee assigns one of us to clean Komui's office and pay bills, organize, whatever needs to be done. So the next time one of us is assigned, then we can both check it out and look around." Lavi explained. Allen still looked skeptical.

"Do you really want to spend hours and hours searching through that _hell_??"

"It wouldn't be any different from any other day of having to clean. We just have something particular in mind while we work, right?"

* * *

Indeed, Lenalee did assign Allen to office-duties that night when Allen and Lavi came into work together. Allen went straight to work, dealing with all the bills as quickly as he could before Lavi came in to join him in his search.

"This is ridiculous! We've been searching for so long..I am sure that it is past closing time!" Allen sighed, rubbing the back of his sore neck. Lavi said nothing, so absorbed was he in his search.

"Lavi..."

Nothing.

"Lavi."

….Still nothing.

"LAVI."

"_LAVI!!_"

"Ehh...huh? Did you say somethin' Allen-chan?" Lavi asked, but he didn't even sound as if he realized he was talking. Allen sighed.

"It's late, Lavi. I'm tired. I'm sure you are tired. Let's call this off and come back tomorrow." he said, dropping the files he had been searching through onto a waist-high pile. Dust flew out and up, carried by some mysterious breeze, tickling Allen's sensitive nose. He sneezed and then rubbed at his nose. Looking down at Lavi, he waited for a response -or even a 'Bless you'.

Lavi said nothing, again.

"La-vi!!"

"Hey, Allen." Lavi said, as if he was the one trying to get Allen's attention, and not the other way around.

Allen was immediately annoyed, ready to slap some sense into the red-head, but then froze at the tone in Lavi's voice, narrowing his eyes.

"What?" he asked.

"I found something. It's a file labeled 'HA profits and paycheck info'." Lavi said, leaning back on his feet, resting his weight on his heels.

"Seriously? Something so openly labeled?" Allen asked, a little disappointed and disgusted. Disgusted because it had been in one of the files closest to the desk, which was where most of the action happened. As one got further away from the desk, the files became dustier and less used, until eventually, one came to files five-six or seven years old. The closest files to the desk had been disturbed only a few days previous, when the last victim had come into the land of Komui and his insanity.

Disappointed because...well, he had expected a bit more of a challenge, in spite of his lack of energy. Komui's office was the epitome of chaos, so to find it so...easily....

Lavi stood up and made his way over to the desk, sitting at the chair. Allen followed to look over Lavi's shoulder at the file. Lavi stared at the yellow folder for a moment, as if thinking. Allen was a little surprised at the thickness of it, especially since -if this was indeed the file they desired- there was only one employee to be paid that had anything to do with the 'HA' part of the title of the folder. But there was also the 'profit' part to consider. Perhaps there were a lot of profits gained from the Hidden Artist's art.

"Are you sure that we want to know?" Lavi asked suddenly. Allen nearly gave himself whiplash from looking sharply over at Lavi.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, what if we expose some huge secret...One that could damage someone's reputation..or something like that?"

"I...guess I never really thought about it that way. But, it's not like we will announce it to the world...right? We _can_ keep it to ourselves. I don't think that anyone else among us really cares that much about who it is...." Allen said.

"Yeah...You're right. So we can look, huh? Look, but...not tell."

"Yeah."

Lavi's hand still didn't move to open it.

"Bloody hell, Lavi, just open it!" Allen exclaimed when the suspense got to him.

"I figured you're curiosity would have made you open it _long ago_!"

"Heheh...You're right. I was just trying to get at your nerves! Sorry, Allen. I couldn't help it." Lavi admitted, smiling somewhat wickedly up at Allen. He flipped the folder open and began reading through the first page.

"Receipts....pay stub copies...letters....Ah! Billing addresses! And bank accounts! This is useful, Allen. Okay...Names...Where are the names? N- What?" Lavi asked, finishing his mumbled sentence with an exclamation of surprise.

"What? What is it, Lavi?"

"N-Name unknown!"

"Oh, blast! And we were so close."

"This person is really thorough. I can't believe it. Well, if we can find the name of the bank...I can do some research. Maybe searching through these files a little bit more will reveal more....." Lavi slowed and then stopped, his expression distant and thoughtful.

"Lavi?" Allen questioned, even though he figured that Lavi wouldn't respond. The red-head surprised him by standing up and looking directly at Allen.

"I'm going to go home and read over these files and see what I can find. I'm sorry, but I will have to leave you here, Allen. I hope you don't mind." With that, Lavi left Komui's dusty office. Allen stared after him in shock.

"Well, bloody- I can't believe he just up and left." Allen muttered, rubbing at his hair. He drew his fingers through the long, white locks, ruffling it as he went. Sighing, he flopped down in the chair and stared at the files surrounding him.

"Blast, I suppose I've got to clean this up."

Indeed he did, muttering sourly about the abandonment caused by 'supposed' friends as he organized. One specific file met his hand and Allen could immediately tell it was a couple years old. When he flipped it open, all that was there were a dozen or so letters. Allen scanned the address written in a neat scrawl across the top.

"Froi Tiedoll, Frankenfurt, Germany...." Allen recited, cocking his head curiously.

"Tiedoll....isn't that Kanda's adoptive father?" he wondered aloud.

"Yeah, and what's it to you, Moyashi?" a sharp voice -two guesses as to who it is, Allen thought sourly, his heart hammering a little in his chest- queried from the door. Allen looked up.

"Hey, Kanda. You're still here?" the Brit asked, hand on the letter before him.

"Yeah, Lenalee asked me to close up. Some business with that psychotic brother of hers." Kanda sniffed, jingling keys in his left hand idly.

"Ohh...So I am supposing that you want me out? Yeah, yeah, hold on a minute. I just need this folder." Allen said. He closed the folder and slid it to the edge of the table to pick it up.

"Oi. Moyashi." Kanda said, his voice deep, husky....almost seductive. A wave of -something?- shot through Allen's body. His heart hammered again in his chest as he looked up.

"W-what?" Allen asked, trying to hide his breathlessness. He -of course- failed. Kanda smirked in his face, leaning across the desk, hands planted on the flat surface. His fingers brushed against Allen's with deceptive softness. Allen was well-aware what those hands could do. He had felt the force of a punch delivered, among other things that recent events had revealed to the Brit.

Allen could feel Kanda's warm breath travel over his mouth and down his neck, delivering a ghost of a touch that no skin could. The Brit swallowed thickly, eyes moving from Kanda's parted lips to his dark eyes.

"I'm taking you....home tonight, Moyashi." Kanda said, his voice full of timbre that made Allen's hands shake. He was pretty sure that the pause in the middle of that sentence was the definition of deliberate. Damn, was it working.

"F-Fine, Kanda. I'll help you close up." Allen said, swallowing once more against his rising emotion. Kanda leaned back, away from Allen, and headed towards the office door. He shot a look over his shoulder at Allen that made Allen want to forget his name.

"God-Goddamn, Kanda." Allen breathed, his hand pressed against his chest, behind which his heart was setting the record for five minute marathon. The Brit circled around the desk, headed for the door.

In the middle of the desk, the five year old folder lay, neglected.


	14. Part Twelve: His Moyashi

The Hidden Artist

Part Twelve: _His_ Moyashi

* * *

When Lenalee handed him the keys for the _Hidden Artist_, Kanda shrugged in dismissal, knowing that he couldn't escape.

"Fine, Lenalee. Go off and find your stupid brother." his sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Thanks so much, Kanda. My chauffeur is giving Lavi a ride home, Allen seems to have disappeared somewhere, and Miranda already left for home, so I am counting on you. See you tomorrow!" Lenalee said, smiling at the older male. She had made as if to hug him, but Kanda crossed his arms over his chest in a blatant rejection. Lenalee pouted momentarily, but whirled around and headed for the front door.

Lavi waved at Kanda and followed. Kanda flipped off the slightly younger man, glaring at his back as he followed Lenalee like a puppy. The way that Lavi had winked and nodded his head in the direction of Komui's office at the mention of the kid was a little bit more than unsettling to Kanda.

Seriously, the red-head plotted _way_ too much for his own good.

Kanda cleaned up in the cafe, washing down surfaces and putting the chairs upside down on the tables. Satisfied with the job, he turned off the lights of the cafe and moved into the main gallery. Down the hall-way, he could see the light of Komui's office still on.

"Damn..." Kanda muttered, flicking his hair over his shoulder. His footsteps were light and silent as he made his way closer. He could just barely hear the Brit talking to himself in his accent -which seemed to be a bit lighter than a few weeks previous. But only just barely.

Kanda looked in the door to see a certain file in the kid's hands. Oh, but he knew that file only to well. If the kid were to read it...

"Froi Tiedoll, Frankenfurt, Germany...." he heard the kid mumble. Shit.

"Tiedoll....isn't that Kanda's adoptive father?" the kid continued. Shit, again. The kid couldn't read any further, other wise he would know-!

"Yeah, and what's it to you, Moyashi?" Kanda snapped, quite eager to distract the Brit. Allen flinched and his head shot up to look at Kanda.

"Hey, Kanda. You're still here?" the Moyashi asked, his eyes lighting up in a way that made Kanda's knees weaken -not that Kanda would ever, in a million years, admit _that_. God forbid!

"Yeah, Lenalee asked me to close up. Some business with that psychotic brother of hers." Kanda replied, jingling his keys to keep the kid from looking back down at the letter under his hand. If he saw-!

"Ohh...So I am supposing that you want me out? Yeah, yeah, hold on a minute. I just need this folder." the Brit said, closing the file. Good, one disaster averted. Wait- what?! Shit! Kanda took three quick steps forward to the desk, planting his hands on the folder. Distracting the Moyashi would be easy. Not that it would be unpleasant to distract him, Kanda thought with an inward grin.

"Oi. Moyashi." he said, allowing that grin out in his voice. The muscles in Allen's small form quivered -much to Kanda's extreme pleasure- and the kid looked back up at him.

"W-what?" the kid questioned. His eyes were wide and expressed great desire. Desire that made Kanda's own just that much stronger for the kid before him. Damn, it was a good thing that Kanda had such control over his body and emotions.

"I'm taking..." Kanda fought back the rise of emotions with some difficulty, "...you home tonight, Moyashi." He almost forgot the reason behind his behavior, pure _want_ controlling the emotions in his voice and eyes. However, it wasn't as though he really _needed_ to remember anymore. The kid surely didn't remember the folder, much less what he had read.

"F-Fine, Kanda. I'll help you close up." the Moyashi said breathlessly.

Arrogance aside....Damn, he was good.

He moved away from the desk, but couldn't resist one more look at the kid. Emotions blazed openly in those gray eyes, making Kanda want to tackle him from the other side of the desk. He made it out the door okay and moved off to finish other duties. He heard Allen leave the office and lock the door behind him. Kanda shot a quick look at him and was relieved to see that the kid had indeed left the folder on the desk. All Kanda had to do was re-hide that damn folder and he would be okay.

This time, he might go so far to keep his secret as to take the folder with letters from Tiedoll -almost six years ago, when Tiedoll had basically sold Kanda off to work with Komui as his 'Hidden Artist'- back to his apartment and hide them in his lock-safe. Once before, the secret had nearly been exposed. Komui, the sentimental fool he was, had been looking through the file several months before Allen had moved to Canada and had left it open, on his desk. Lavi had been assigned to do the bills and Kanda had had the luck of walking in to figure out if Komui had sent his check to see that the folder had been exposed. After a few bouts of insults and an argument, he had distracted Lavi enough to close and place the folder in one of the older stacks of folders and then had left.

Truthfully, he was surprised that Allen had been able to dig it up, but he was most certainly glad that the clueless Brit hadn't actually looked at the title of the folder.

"The Deciding Factor of the Hidden Artist" probably would have been a dead give away, if the kid had thought about it. Damn Komui and his miserable office and organizing skills.

Allen was in the studio, shutting and locking windows and making sure that everything was in place. Kanda flicked off the house lights that shone down on the paintings on the wall. The soft light of the studio and the main house lights were the only illumination left in the _Hidden Artist_. Kanda brushed at some paint chips on his shirt -he had been putting the finishing touches on one of his newer pieces- and tapped the toe of his shoe against the floor to get rid of any other paint chips on his feet.

"Oi! Moyashi, are you almost done?!" Kanda demanded, losing his patience. He wanted nothing more than to leave the Hidden Artist and go home, dragging Allen into his apartment and-

"Yeah, hold on a second, Kanda! I'm just looking at the new art work that just came in." Allen called back. Kanda felt suddenly restless and headed into the studio, moving in perfect silence. He ended up right behind Allen, who was staring at one of Kanda's older works.

"I've never seen this one before. It's very beautiful...." Allen mumbled to himself, "It must be new."

"No. It's about a month old." Kanda said, unable to contain himself. Allen gasped loudly -exclaiming British profanities- and whirled around to face Kanda.

"Bloody hell, Kanda!! Don't sneak up on me like that! Lord in heaven!" the Brit hissed, frowning up at Kanda.

"Jesus, Moyashi. A little jumpy?" Kanda asked, smirking. Allen's gray eyes met Kanda's dark ones, a small spark of the previous desire still there, but mostly hidden behind indignation.

"How'd you know anyway?" Allen asked, moving off to the side and turning back around to look at the painting.

"Know what?" the Japanese man asked as he crossed his arms over his chest to look surreptitiously at Allen.

"The date of this painting. You said it was about a month old. How can you tell?"

Other than the fact that I painted it myself, almost exactly a month ago? And, regardless of that fact, I can tell the aging of the paint because I was raised by an artist and took lessons from that same man who happened to be my adoptive father?

"The date at the bottom left corner, near the artist's mark." Kanda said, shrugging. The Brit looked in the said direction and his pale-pink lips made an "O" shape.

"Che, stupid Moyashi..." Kanda muttered.

"It's not my fault that I was so occupied by the picture itself and didn't look at the bloody _corner_!"

"Just goes to show that you're blind, Moyashi."

"Ahh, bugger off."

Allen stared at the painting a while longer, taking in the colors and application of paint.

"It's the Hidden Artist's work. Damn, would I kill to meet them!" he sighed. Kanda arched an eyebrow.

"You that into this person's work?" he asked. Truthfully, he couldn't see how people were so obsessive over his work. He just.....painted. No fancy technique or gadget to give him an edge over other artist's work. It was just _him_.

"Yeah...I know you think it's silly Kanda, but I absolutely love all forms of art. Music, literature, painting....Everything. I can't help it; I am just so fascinated by it. And this.....Everything the Hidden Artist does is a masterpiece." Allen said fervently, making Kanda feel slightly uncomfortable. But at the same time....

"Hurry up, Moyashi. Closing up time was half an hour ago. Quit staring and hurry your ass up." Kanda said gruffly, stalking out of the studio. He would never admit it, but the soft -almost unnoticeable- blush on his cheeks spoke volumes.

As he reached the front of the store, his cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, fearing that it was Tiedoll. The man had already called four times that day to update on Daisya's 'girl'. Kanda rolled his eyes and answered.

"Yeah?"

"Kanda! Oh, I am so glad I could get hold of you!"

"Komui. What the hell do you want?" Kanda asked, almost groaning in disgust.

"I have a client in Vienna who is willing to pay a hefty sum to have you paint a mural in their home. One of my secretaries is playing as your representative in Austria and the client -potentially _your_ client, mind you, if you say yes- has heard about you through the Artiste Network. I have been holding conferences -acting as your agent- with them and we have settled on a final price."

"You did all this without asking me, you jackass??" Kanda demanded, glaring.

"Well, you did agree in your contract that I would act as your agent and advertiser." Komui said and Kanda could almost hear this creepy grin in his voice. The Japanese artist sighed harshly.

"Che. What's the payment?"

Komui told him and Kanda almost choked.

"Are you fucking serious???"

"What, is that a bad price? Did you want more?"

"K-Komui!" Kanda yelled, feeling a little distressed.

"I know, I know. But they were very persuasive. They said that an artist with skills like yours must be paid as such, otherwise you couldn't be expected to do your very best."

"If that is their philosophy..." Kanda muttered, shaking his head. Rich people were repulsive, throwing their money around, paying off everyone and everything they could think of. Ridiculous.

"So you agree?" Komui asked, sounding excited.

"Yeah, sure."

"Oh that is grand, Kanda!"

"When am I expected?" Kanda asked, noticing that Allen was walking down the hall towards the entrance.

"In a week and a half. They said, in the mean time, they will be sending one of their own representatives to monitor you and see if you are all you are cut out to be."

"Komui." Kanda warned.

"Yes, yes, I know. You want to keep your secret, and so do I. How do you think I would look if people were to discover that my first employee when I opened the Hidden Artist was a minor. Underage employment is frowned upon with the people I work with, you know that."

"That's bullshit and _you_ know it, Komui." Kanda sniffed. Allen was getting closer. He had to wrap this phone call up. No reason to let slip anything that would clue the kid on.

"Anyway, they said they will be sending a family member who is connected to royalty in some country who is also a lawyer and an artist himself. He will be staying here until you leave. They said that he will be your escort when you get to Austria."

"An escort, seriously, Komui? You _are _a jackass."

"Remember, a week and a half!!" With that, the eccentric man hung up the phone. Kanda sighed harshly again.

"What was that about?" Allen asked, adjusting the tie around his thin neck.

"Che. A job that Komui wants me to deal with." Kanda said, heading toward the front door. Allen followed along.

"He can do that?" the Brit asked, turning off the main house lights. Kanda rolled his eyes.

"Well, no shit, Moyashi. I am his security guard." he said derisively.

"Oh. Well you don't need to be a bloody jerk about it."

"Whatever. Hurry your British ass up."

The night air was pleasantly warm as Kanda locked the front door after Allen had exited the building. The stars were just barely visible, but the city lights blocked most of them out.

"Where's your car, Kanda?" Allen asked, looking up and down the street. Kanda was watching Allen silently. It just wouldn't go away, the desire that he held for the younger man. It would not relent.

"Around the corner, Moyashi."

"I do have a name, BaKanda." Allen said, not without a some exasperation.

"Che. I'll remember it when it's important." Kanda sniffed, moving off towards his car. He could feel Allen's hesitance to follow. With some difficulty, he refrained from looking back or calling out to the kid. If he wanted to come, he would. And if he didn't......Well, Kanda would just pull his stubborn British self into the car, lock the doors and drive off.

When he unlocked the car, though, Allen was there, waiting at the passenger-side door. Kanda smirked -victoriously- and opened his door. He waited a few moments while Allen climbed in, looking as if someone had tricked him. The Japanese man started up the car and revved the engine experimentally.

It sounded as though it needed a tune-up. Possibly an oil-change. He could do that tomorrow.

"You know, Kanda, I am rather impressed with you." Allen said suddenly. Kanda narrowed his eyes as he drove.

"What the hell about, Moyashi."

"Well lately, you haven't been making any of those ridiculous and immature jokes about my sexual preference." the Brit said, sounding almost smug. What, was the brat _implying_ something??

Well, of course he wouldn't make any jokes....That would be a little hypocritical on his part. Kanda had never admitted it -nor would he ever- but the Japanese man had never had an interest in the opposite sex. That said...what else _was_ there?

Kanda sniffed derisively.

"Just because I don't make gay jokes, Moyashi, doesn't make you any less of a _flaming homosexual_." he sneered, but with no hurtful intent behind it. At least, under the surface....Where it wasn't obvious.

"Flaming?? You think I'm a bloody flamer, you prick?" Allen hissed, glaring at the older man. Kanda slammed on the brakes, threw the car into park and turned sharply to face Allen. He lunged across the seat, pushing Allen up against the door -which was locked- pinning him with disturbing efficiency.

"Don't you know how to take a joke....Moyashi?" Kanda asked, his mouth mere centimeters away from Allen's. His accent was a little thick, which he couldn't quite help, but it seemed to add to the situation. The brat stuttered a little, breathing heavily against Kanda's mouth. The Japanese man shuddered -minutely, so that Allen didn't notice- and pushed a little more against Allen.

"K-Kanda?" Allen questioned and the word -_his name_- from those lips was intoxicating.

"And people think that _I'm_ wound tight. Che, a corkscrew is looser than you." Kanda commented, grinning into Allen's face.

"God, your voice....Kanda...." Allen said, barely able to contain a moan.

Intriguing.

"There's no point in sitting here all night, Moyashi. Hurry up and get out of my car." Kanda said, moving back into his seat to shut the car off and get out.

"But-but....We're-"

"-At the apartments? No shit, Moyashi." Kanda sniffed, inwardly proud of his handiwork on the kid. His head was probably spinning so fast....The Japanese man grinned wickedly. Allen finally exited the car -after forgetting that he had his seat belt on and trying to get out while still restrained- and followed after Kanda.

Kanda lead the way into the apartments and up to their floor. He stopped in front of his apartment and noticed how close Allen came to crashing into him.

"Well, Kanda....Good night. I guess I'll see you around." Allen said, trying to pass Kanda.

"Jesus, Moyashi!" Kanda hissed, very much exasperated.

"Are you that dense?! Or just stupid??" he demanded, surprising Allen. The Brit gaped at Kanda, somewhat confused.

"Both, then?" He grabbed Allen's shoulder, pushed him against the door again and pressed his body against the shorter man's. He dipped his mouth down to Allen's neck and trailed his tongue up the column of his neck. The kid tasted exquisite! Allen gasped and struggled a little, pushing on Kanda.

"What the hell?" the Brit asked, shocked once more.

"I'm getting sick of the innocent act, Moyashi. Che, you really are clueless."

"Well, excuse me if I'm new to this kind of thing!" Allen exclaimed shrilly, managing to look embarrassed and indignant at the same time. Kanda gave the Brit a look. New to...what? Being affectionate? Being gay? Surely not, the kid had probably been gay for as long as he knew.

Allen's expression turned into anger.

"What?! Did you assume that I was some homosexual, bed-hopping, bloody skank??!" he growled, clearly and thoroughly pissed. Kanda backed up a step, slightly shocked at Allen's anger.

"Oh that's great. Let's label all homosexuals as sex-fiends! Thank you very bloody much, Kanda!"

With that, Allen pushed at Kanda to try to get past.

"I didn't say that, did I, _idiot_?" Kanda snapped, looking a little angry himself. Allen pursed his lips defiantly.

"Dense, Moyashi. Do I need to beat it in your head?" Kanda asked, growling. He pressed into Allen again and claimed his lips. His long fingers trailed up Allen's neck into his hair, feeling the soft, white hair. Allen was immobile for a second, but he put his hands on Kanda's chest, feeling through the cloth for the pale skin underneath. The kiss didn't go far, nor did it last long, just long enough for Kanda to unlock his front door, open it and push Allen through. Allen walked backwards slowly, running his hands through Kanda's long hair. He pulled on the hair tie, allowing the hair to tumble down Kanda's back.

"Why do you keep your hair long?" Allen asked, his voice quiet, almost as if he were afraid that too much noise would disrupt.

"Because I like to." Kanda said briefly, ceasing anymore comments or questions with a swift, possessive bite to Allen's neck. Allen gasped again. Kanda knew that he didn't bite hard enough to cause pain, so he must have been doing something right. He closed the door behind him, kicking off his shoes -as a matter of habit than anything- and pushed Allen again, releasing his hold first.

Allen stared at Kanda a few feet away, breathing hard, eyes blazing. Kanda stared back, his mind's eyes silently figuring the best way to attack. In the silence -relative due to the harsh breathing from both men- Kanda could swear that the entire room could hear his pounding heart.

The silence was broken when Kanda's cell phone rang....again. He gritted his teeth and contemplated breaking the damn device. He knew that ring tone. It had played multiple times that day. Why the hell didn't he ever turn off his cell phone? Why the _hell_ wasn't there an ignore button?

He pulled the phone out of his pocket, glaring hatefully at it before answering it.

"What the hell do you want, Tiedoll? It had better be good!"

"Yuu! How is my son?"

"_Adopted_ son; do I have to remind you every time?"

Allen was still panting, but looked rather curious.

"Anyway, Yuu, I just wanted to check up on you. Have you had dinner yet? Are you home? Are you-"

"-Old man. Stop it or you will give yourself an aneurism. No, I haven't had dinner yet, yes I am home and could you please not call so damned late??"

"Oh? What time is it over there?"

"Almost eleven. In the evening."

"And you aren't in bed yet, Yuu? That's shameful. You know that you need your precious sleep."

"I don't care, Old man. I am an adult. I think that I can take care of myself just fine." Kanda hissed, rubbing at his temple in annoyance. Allen smirked at him and ruffled his white hair a little.

"I know that, Yuu. I can still worry about you. You are my son, I don't care what you say."

"Don't call me that, Old man."

"You'll never guess what happened, Yuu! The girl that Daisya is interested in asked him on a date! It was so wonderful! Love was in the air, dancing with the flower blossoms-"

"-It's not spring, old man-"

"-And her soft, French accent sounded out in cutely awkward English-"

"-You realize you sound like a pedophile, right?-"

"-And there was Daisya, standing under the midday sun, his boyish cheeks glowing with youth-"

"-Alright, stop it! What the hell do you want from me?"

Kanda could hear Tiedoll's slight laugh of victory.

"What are you doing on the sixth, Kanda?" Tiedoll asked, finally down to business.

Kanda had the urge to slap his forehead. Due to his dignity he resorted to sighing harshly.

"Don't tell me-"

"-Why do you fuss about it, Kanda? You know we are going to do it every year. You should expect no less from you dear, loving family." a different voice said.

"Daisya. Enjoying your girlfriend?"

"Sh-She's not my girlfriend! I'm not even interested!"

Kanda could hear Tiedoll say something in the back ground, but didn't pay close enough attention.

"Daisya, can't you keep an eye on that man? At least remind him of the time difference between there and here?" Kanda snapped, his eyebrow twitching in irritation.

"There isn't that great of a time difference, Kanda. You know that."

"It's enough that his calls are irritating to me."

"His calls are irritating to you no matter what time or where either of you are."

"Che. I'm going to hang up now."

"Wait, Kanda! Seriously, what are you doing on your birthday? You can handle a few hours of the people that we know you like. It won't kill you, Kanda."

"Che, I'm not doing a damn thing. Doesn't look like I have a say in anything that you plot against me."

"Good boy, Yuu! I'm so proud to be your father!"

"You're not my father!" Kanda yelled into the phone before hanging up. He stared at the phone, his eyes lacking the hardness of his words. Kanda looked up to see Allen sitting on his couch, eyes closed.

His chest moved with each light breath, his soft mouth parted to intake air. Kanda sat down next to Allen and leaned close, smelling the scent that wafted around the Brit's hair. He moved even closer, his heart beating wildly.

Kanda stopped, eyes narrowed, and pulled back.

"Oi. Moyashi, wake up."

Nothing. Allen remained asleep, breathing softly. Kanda sighed quietly and hooked his arm under Allen's right arm and behind his back, lifting him carefully. The kid mumbled, but still slept on. He leaned closer, attaching his arm around Kanda's neck and kissing the skin of the Japanese man's collar bone. Kanda felt his body heat up again and -ignoring any sudden urges- hefted the younger male up off the couch.

With the grace of an experienced fighter, Kanda maneuvered around the living room, to his bedroom and dropped the kid on his bed. Swiftly, he removed the Brit's shoes and put them on the floor near the end of the bed. He then removed his own shoes, but took those all the way to the entrance of the apartment, where he could find them in the morning.

His feet made soft noises as he made his way back to his bedroom. Allen had already spread out his limbs on the bed, white hair fluffed out underneath him. Kanda unbuttoned his shirt and took it off to put it in his laundry basket to be washed. The kid's light body was easy to push over and just as easy to lift up to pull the blankets out from underneath him.

Kanda slid his lean body into the bed next to Allen and pulled the smaller male close to his body. Allen practically radiated heat for some reason, so Kanda only required a sheet to cover with. The Brit was now his bed warmer.

The Japanese man tightened his arms around his Moyashi before slipping into a peaceful sleep.

* * *


	15. Part Thirteen: Master Cross

The Hidden Artist

Part Thirteen: Master Cross

* * *

Early morning noises awoke Allen, along with an excessive warmth surrounding his body. Strong limbs were entwined with his. Allen -with a sinking feeling- turned slightly to face the one holding him. Kanda's sleeping, calm face greeted him. Allen wiggled a little to turn around completely, but Kanda tightened his arms around the British man, a frown creasing his brow.

"Do you have to move around?" Kanda asked, his eyes remaining closed. His grip on Allen didn't loosen in the least, in fact, it only seemed to tighten even more.

"Did I wake you, Kanda?" Allen asked in return.

"No. I've been awake for a while."

"Oh. Well, good morning." the younger man said, smiling at Kanda. He couldn't help but arch an eyebrow at that. Kanda was definitely possessive. Allen supposed that it suited him.

The two remained entwined for a while, speaking a little once in a while. They heard stomping in the hall outside Kanda's apartment and a loud knocking, but not on Kanda's door.

"Thank God...I thought it was Lavi...." Kanda muttered sourly. They heard a muffled shout of a word, making Allen freeze.

"Oh dear.....No...It's someone much, _much_ worse." Allen groaned.

"It's Cross."

"Stupid Apprentice, get your lazy ass out here!!"

Allen hurriedly detached himself from Kanda and stumbled out of the bed, tripping over his shoes as he went. He ended up sprawled on the floor, somehow staring at the blanket hanging off the bed from an upside down perspective. He watched as Kanda raised his head into view to smirk at him.

"Your sense of balance is off a bit, Moyashi." he snickered wickedly. Allen frowned and sat up straight, grabbing for his shoes.

"Where's my shirt?"

"Two feet to your left."

"Thanks."

"....Where's my sock?"

Kanda grabbed something from under the blankets and threw it in Allen's face. Allen caught it with flailing hands and shoved his foot into it. He heard Kanda flop back onto the bed, sheet caught around his middle, exposing his taut stomach and chest.

"Allen!!"

"Shit!" the Brit cursed, fumbling with his shirt and shoes at the same time. More pounding was heard on Allen's door, which only served to make the Brit freak out more.

"Calm the fuck down, Moyashi." Kanda sniffed.

"How bad can that old fucker be?"

"You met him, Kanda. But....You wouldn't really know because you haven't lived five years with the crazy wanker!" Allen muttered -more to himself than to Kanda-, finally getting both his shoes on. After that, he was free to speed-button his shirt up and slip his vest on over it. In a few more seconds, he was on his feet and headed out of Kanda's room. A hand slipped in between his elbow and his ribs and then yanked him back with an unbreakable grip. Kanda pulled Allen up against him and claimed his lips fiercely -all burning passion and control- before releasing him and heading back to the bed to sit.

"Uhhh...Right....Bye, Kanda.." Allen managed to say before he left the room. He raced to the front door and burst out of it to come face to face with Cross.

"Stupid Apprentice, don't you know how to be like a good dog and come when your master calls?" Cross asked, puffing on his cigarette.

"You can't smoke in here. And I am not your apprentice anymore, so therefore you aren't my bloody master, either." Allen remarked, closing Kanda's door behind him.

"What the hell were you doing in there? Playing some sort of homosexual game with a homosexual neighbor? Little fag, hurry your ass up." Cross commanded, though Allen couldn't really tell if the man was truly angry or not. The 'fag' part burned at him because it had been years since he had even seen Cross, so he was not used to the harsh language, but he hoped he could deal with it.

"It's none of your business what affairs I tend to. And they happen to be something besides what sex, drugs, and alcohol affairs that _you_ always tend to. So, Stupid Master, what do you want so early in the bloody morning?" Allen asked, heading into his own apartment. Cross followed, still smoking his cigarette, blowing smoke in Allen's direction, trying to irritate him. Allen could smell it, but chose to ignore the arrogant prick.

"I wanted to spend time with my irritating, little son of a bitch apprentice. Is that okay with you?" Cross asked, almost sounding like he wanted to start pouting. Allen rolled his eyes.

"Bollocks, that's for sure. You want coffee or something?"

"Huh, still doing the British thing, then? Yeah, make me some damned coffee. Need you even ask, Idiot Apprentice? Show some damned respect." Cross sighed, sitting on the couch like he owned the place. Allen nearly groaned. It would take a week to get the smell of booze and cigarettes out of his couch. At least the man wasn't an entire eyesore.

"Master, I am bloody British. I hold nothing but the utmost respect for you, Master. It just happens to be away on a vacation on bloody Jupiter." Allen hissed, grabbing the coffee pot and filling it with water.

"And it shows, you arrogant little jackass. You and your damned British accent."

"How the hell do you want your coffee, Master?"

"Is that how I raised you, Idiot Apprentice? To cuss out your fucking elders? Make the coffee rich for the morning."

"And that means spiked with enough alcohol to down the entire U.S. military." Allen remarked under his breath.

"No, you raised me with the back of your hand and that bloody hammer. That's considered child abuse in some countries. You taught me all the curses for at least forty languages, in the most creative of ways, no less." the Brit said with a long-suffering sigh.

"That was a great hammer. Until you burned the damn thing in that fire in China."

Allen sighed yet again, as if tired of explaining.

"Your cigarette started that fire, sir, when you dumped your whiskey bottle over after throwing the hammer at my face for the third time that night. You tried to throw your cigarette at me as well, when the hammer got stuck in the wall."

"Is that how it happened? I didn't remember."

"_That_ is because you were drunk out of you mind because you couldn't find Miss Anita anywhere."

"Because she fucking skipped out of town!" Cross growled, crushing his cigarette as he remembered.

"No, sir, that is because she was two provinces over. You wanted to stop in that town because they hosted a wild sake drinking contest."

Cross was silent a while.

"When the hell did you start to talk back so much, you arrogant little homo?"

"When you adopted me."

"And why the _hell_ did I do that?"

"Because what little of your heart was left saw an eight year old sleeping next to the grave of his dead adoptive father and felt what _could_ be mistaken as sympathy." Allen replied tirelessly.

"Because Mana asked me to in his will. Damn, I shouldn't have listened to him. Just because he was my damned cousin....Always tricking me into shit. And now I have to take responsibility for your gay actions." Cross said, ignoring Allen's comment.

"Sir. Refrain from calling me gay. Or homosexual. Or a bloody fag." Allen hissed, pouring out steaming coffee into a small white cup. He found a clean saucer and wiped it once with a towel to rid it of the dust that had collected -he never used the things, except when Cross stopped by- over the time it had spent in the cupboard.

"Are you almost done with that damned coffee, you brat?"

"I'm eighteen, _sir_, not a child," Allen said, adding the 'sir' with some difficulty, "And yes, it is almost done."

"Good. Perhaps I should stick around long enough so that you gain some manners again, you arrogant little shit."

God in Heaven, was that man infuriating!! Allen's hand shook visibly as he placed the coffee cup on the saucer. He went searching through his cupboards, looking for the spare bottle of vodka that he kept around just in case Cross decided to show up. In fact, he had an entire mini-bar in one of his moving boxes -marked _Extremely Fragile!!_, since there were bottles of alcohol in there he didn't want to have to replace in a million years-, though he wasn't sure where they were. He thought that they were in his spare bedroom, but he couldn't be sure.

Only half the coffee cup was filled with coffee, so Allen filled the rest with the vodka, and then brought them both out to Cross. After setting them up on the table before his Master in a "presentable" manner -with Cross directing idly from the couch- Allen went back into the kitchen to search for a shot glass. A specific shot glass that Cross loved to use and refused to use any other while in Allen's presence.

Allen knew that Cross was just screwing with him, because he had seen the man use many various things as shot glasses, but he would rather not find out what hard object the older man could grab and throw in less than the few seconds it would take Allen to realize he had done something wrong. Or if Master Cross had found a new "favorite" hammer to use just for this visiting trip.

Speaking of visiting trip....What the bloody hell was the man doing here anyway??

Allen was dreading when the man would bring it up. It would likely be something that the Brit really didn't want to hear. Not to mention that Allen had to watch the man very carefully. He was probably loaded with debt receipts to leave around the front room for Allen to find. It wouldn't be the first time he had done something like that.

The Brit soon grew frustrated, for he couldn't find the shot glass anywhere in the kitchen. He peeked around the corner to see Cross staring thoughtfully at the vodka bottle, coffee untouched so far. It wasn't a contemplative look like he wanted to drink the vodka, so Allen wasn't immediately concerned, but he was certainly debating _something_.

Allen slipped out of the kitchen and headed to him room, where he thought the shot glass to be, trying to avoid Cross' attention. It worked, to his relief, though only made Allen more curious about what it was that was keeping Cross so...thoughtful. The last expression that the Brit had seen on his Master's face was one of sincere dislike. Like he had to do something he didn't want to.

The shot glass was in one of Allen's dresser drawers, why he hadn't any clue, but he was relieved to find it. He made his way back into the living room to set the glass next to the vodka bottle, right in the perfect position for Cross to easily pour the alcohol into the glass. Allen sat in a chair in front of and to the side of Cross, as was habit for the younger man.

"Allen."

The Brit froze. Cross never called him that. Something was wrong.

"M-Master?" Allen asked, stumbling over his words helplessly.

"I have something to tell you. Your uncle died a few months ago."

"Uncle, Master? I wasn't aware that I had an uncle."

"My cousin, your father's brother."

"Ma-Mana had a brother?" Allen asked.

"Shut up and listen, brat."

"Yes, sir."

"Yes, Mana had a brother. A twin brother that disappeared almost eighteen years ago, not long after you cursed this world with your presence."

"Thanks, Master." Allen remarked sarcastically.

"He was part of a clan in the Middle East, not directly related to him, but he joined for...self-righteous reasons that Mana disapproved of. I didn't get involved with their fight, until about a year ago. Your uncle contacted me and said that he was trying to leave the clan and needed my help. I never gave a shit about taking sides and that stupid cousin of mine has been out of the picture for ten years, so it didn't really matter..."

"You really shouldn't speak ill of the deceased, Master. It's disrespectful. Plus it's Mana. He deserves respect even now, sir."

"Shut up, kid, I know that. Anyway, I agreed to help him. He sent me a lot of information to help him out, but that doesn't concern you. He sent me his pre-written will, in case anything happened, and told me not to open it unless he died. He also sent me the location of a second will written by my stupid cousin."

"Clarify, Master Cross, they are both your cousins." Allen sighed.

"God, you're bitchy today. Your boyfriend dump you or some shit?"

"I don't date, Master, you know that."

"Then shut the hell up."

"Fine, Master."

"Anyway, you arrogant little shit, somehow he knew about you. I guess Mana bragged to him or something stupid like that. So when he croaked-" "-Lord in Heaven, Master, show respect!-" "-_When he croaked_, I opened up that letter and apparently he left everything to you. Beyond me, why, though, you little shit. Some storage locker in Jerusalem, another in Indonesia and Austria, and a load of cash in foreign currency from around the world. I checked Mana's will and it's something of the same. You see, Mana was a rich one. Which is probably why he was able to adopt your whiny ass and then leave your whiny ass to me. He came from some long line of princes or some shit, blah blah blah. In any case, your gay royalness is the heir to a boatload of money. Congratulations or some shit."

Allen stared at the table in front of him. It was a lot to....take in.

"Mana left a will? _Two_ wills? Bloody hell. And my uncle left a will, too? To _me_?"

"Don't make me repeat myself, Idiot Apprentice. I already had a team of lawyers examine the wills and the goods, so you don't have to worry about that. But you're paying for the lawyers."

"Ahh, it bloody figures you'd leave something for me to pay for." Allen sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Quit whining, Idiot Apprentice." Cross hissed, pouring a shot of vodka.

"Well, thank you for telling me, Master Cross. How is Miss Anita doing, anyway?"

"Getting a little old for my taste."

"Master! She is your _wife_!"

"_Ex_-wife, Idiot Apprentice."

"Again? Are you bloody serious?! You're going to leave her someday and find out that she has fallen in love with some other man, Master Cross!" Allen lectured, crossing his arms in disapproval.

"I'll kill the bastard that so much as touches her!" Cross growled, hand tightening around the shot glass. Allen grinned helplessly.

"At least you still love her. Bugger me if I know why she loves _you_." he sighed.

"Do not." Cross sniffed childishly. "And she loves me because I-"

The older man stopped and glared at Allen. The Brit was grinning at him quite victoriously.

"Stupid, cunning little shit. Where the hell did you learn that from?"

"Years of dealing with you, sir."

* * *


	16. Intermission: Funny Filler Interruption!

The Hidden Artist

The Funny Filler Intermission Interruption!!!

Okay, this is a birthday present for xbleedinglotusx!! It was her birthday yesterday and so this is to commemorate her birthday, all her awesome reviews, her awesomeness in general, and the fact that she has been reading my stories for ages now. And I really, really, really, really appreciate it!!! So this is for you, lotus-chan!! Enjoy!

* * *

I found this thing for OC characters on my best friend/roommate's (Okami-Raen) story (Lost But Not Forgotten), which is a Bleach-fic, and it was a filler thing in between chapters...When I stole it (with her permission, mind you) it was a thing with OC's blah blah blah, but since I don't have very many OCs, I did it about DGM characters...^_^ Which was fun. So, yes....Here it is...In all its scary glory.... Also, I give anyone permission to take this and do it in their own way. BUT-! You must let me know...Because I wanna read it too!! ^_^;;

DGM CHARACTER MEME!!!

First, select 10 awesomely awesome characters from any show, or any combination of shows, or your own OCs. Then, fill them into the slots in any random order (the more random, the more fun!!) and then answer the questions below.

1)Allen Walker

2)Daisya Barry

3)Tyki Mikk

4)Cross Marian

5)Kanda Yuu

6)Lavi

7)Krory

8)Jasdevi

9)Lenalee Lee

10)Komui Lee

* * *

**1)Four (Cross) invites Three (Tyki) and Eight (Jasdevi) to dinner at their house. What happens?**

_Tyki and Jasdevi would arrive, ready to annihilate Cross._

_Walk in the front door and find a HUGE book of debts awaiting them._

_And then a chicken in the corner._

_Wait, hasn't this already happened? *evil laugh*_

**2) Nine (Lenalee) tries to get Five (Kanda) to go to a strip club.**

"_Come on, Kanda! Please! I want to go and no one else will go with me! Brother said I could go if you came with me!" Lenalee pleaded. Kanda looked very perturbed._

"_You want me to go where? With you? What the hell do you think I am?" Kanda demanded._

"_Kanda, please?! I really want to go!"_

"_LENALEE~!" Komui cried from down the hall._

"_Oh crap!"_

"_Kanda, how dare you try to take my innocent Lenalee to a strip club!! I will have you punished!!" Komui screeched. Kanda's eyes widened._

"_Oh shit, indeed."_

_Wait.......Why the hell does Lenalee want to take Kanda to a strip club?!_

**3)****You need to stay at a friends house for a night. Who do you choose, One or Six?**

_Shit...That's hard to call. I mean....Allen is adorable...and I love him dearly...But...Lavi's house? That would be loads of fun! Maybe...Go to Lavi house, invite Allen and Kanda over and go nuts. Maybe get Kanda drunk. *evil laugh* Hey, we'd all get drunk and go crazy.^_^_

**4) Two (Daisya) and Seven (Krory) are making out. Ten (Komui) walks in. What is their reaction?**

_Komui stopped after having opened the door. Krory and Daisya froze in their ministrations and slowly turned to face Komui._

_Oh...Dear god. That is just disturbing on SO many levels. They have never even met each other!!_

_I cannot write that!!  
_

**5) Three (Tyki) falls in love with Six (Lavi), eight (Jasdevi) is jealous. What happens?**

_Ummm....Fangirl heaven?_

_Tyki would destroy Jasdevi and then take Lavi into a corner-closet-room-bed and proceed to rape him...Nicely, of course. Lavi would enjoy _

_And then they would skip merrily into the distance to find Allen (or Kanda...or both, for that matter) and torture him/them....Nicely....of course...^__^_

**6) ****Four (Cross) jumps you in a dark alleyway. Who comes to your rescue, Ten (Komui), Two (Daisya), or Seven (Krory)?**

_Oh god, Cross is gonna rape me!!! Well, I might be a bit too young for his tastes...But who knows, he hit on Lenalee._

_Komui, Daisya and Krory would stare in slight confusion and horror, but I think that Komui and Daisya would try to help. Komui might try to threaten Cross, though I don't know what Daisya would do. Krory would help, but he knows neither me nor Cross...So it's hard to call._

**7) One (Allen) decides to start a cooking show. Fifteen minutes later, what is happening?**

_He would make all the food...And then eat it right in front of the camera. And then he probably would get attacked by Lavi and an reluctantly dragged-along Kanda and the entire kitchen ends up on fire. Lavi would want to "help" and Kanda would get pissed, Allen would insult him and piss him off even more and Kanda would try to slice the refrigerator in half, efficiently catching the kitchen on fire when he knocks a hand towel into the gas stove.....Lit gas stove._

**8) Three (Daisya) has to marry either Eight (Jasdevi), Four (Cross), or Nine (Lenalee). Who do they choose?**

_Well, the obvious two would be eliminated because, well, Jasdevi is the enemy, while female (sort of?), but they would end up having a fight to the death with Daisya. Cross is not an option because neither of them are gay (as far as I know, Daisya isn't, Cross obviously isn't) and he would just as soon shoot Daisya as marry him._

_As for Lenalee, well, that would be interesting._

"_Komui sir...I have a question to ask you."_

"_Yes, Daisya-kun?"_

"_C-Can I...May I have your permission to take Lenalee's hand in marriage?"_

"_...." Komui whips out a large drill out of nowhere in one hand and a syringe in the other._

"_....I'll start running now."_

"_Good idea, Daisya-kun."_

**9) Seven (Krory) kidnaps Two (Daisya) and demands something from Five (Kanda) for Two's (Daisya's) release. What is it?**

_Well, Krory would kidnap Daisya to get Kanda to give him soba-eating lessons. Only, it wouldn't work, because Kanda wouldn't really care. He would know that Krory couldn't do anything to Daisya to make him even remotely worry. So, it would fail._

**10) Everyone gangs up on Three (Tyki). Does Three (Tyki) have a chance in hell?**

_Ehhh....No. I don't think so. Because Rhode is more powerful than Tyki....And Allen nearly killed Tyki at one point. No. He would be obliterated. But...Then I would cry. Because I love Tyki. But I think that Tyki would end up chained up, dressed in a pink, frilly dress, his curly dark hair in pig-tails. (Courtesy of a collaboration of Rhode, Lavi, and Jasdero......Maybe Allen.)  
_

**11) Everyone is invited to Two (Daisya) and Ten's (Komui's) wedding. Except for Eight (Jasdevi). How do they react?**

_Well, at first, Jasdevi wouldn't care, but eventually he would get bored and go over to crash the wedding._

_Wait. WAIT! Komui?!?!! DAISYA??!?!? AAAAAAAAAAGGH!!!! *dies*_

**12) Why is Six (Lavi) afraid of Seven (Krory)?**

_Well, when he first met Krory, Lavi was deathly afraid of Krory because Krory was suspected of being a vampire. So, there you go. Krory's a vampire and Lavi is afraid of vampires._

**13) One (Allen) arrives late for Two (Daisya) and Ten's (Komui's) wedding. Why were they late?**

_Overslept and had a very large breakfast...And then Kanda attacked him after breakfast because Allen laughed at him for eating soba noodles every day._

_Wait! Why are we still on the DaisyXKomui pairing?!! *explodes*_

**14) Five (Kanda) and nine (Lenalee) get roaring drunk and end up at your house. What happens?**

_Kanda would be attacking everything with Mugen, because he's probably and angry drunk. Lenalee would be on the couch giggling and calling Kanda "nii-san" and then getting up to try to hug him. My roommates and I would be watching in wonder. Then I would kidnap Kanda._

**15) Nine (Lenalee) murders Two's (Daisya's) best friend. What does Two (Daisya) do to get back at them?**

_Who IS Daisya's best friend? Does he even have one? ....Kanda?  
_

_Ehh, if that is the case, Lenalee never would because she loves Kanda like a big brother._

**16) Six (Lavi) and One (Allen) are in mortal danger, only one of them can survive. Does Six (Lavi) save himself or One (Allen)?**

_Well, Lavi would probably save Allen because he is the "Destroyer of Time" and a very important exorcist....Plus Lavi just cares about Allen, so he would save Allen._

**17) Eight (Jasdevi) and Three (Tyki) go camping. For some reason they forget to bring any food. What do they do?**

_Jasdevi would complain unceasingly until they drove Tyki crazy. Tyki would likely go hunting and Jasdevi would follow along, scaring off all the animals, further driving Tyki crazy._

**18) Five (Kanda) is in a car crash and is critically injured. What does Nine (Lenalee) do?**

_See what she could do to try to help him out, try to save his life. But there wouldn't be much she would have to do, since Kanda can heal himself from any injuries. But she would probably lecture him about being so reckless and getting hurt.

* * *

_

Well, there you go.^_^ Hope you enjoyed it! I had fun writing it, for sure!

Hey-! You! Yeah, you. Looking at my words right now...Review! Review for every chapter! Every question, comment, favorite part, favorite character...EVERYTHING. Review it!! I won't complain, I promise!! So...Click that little button down there because you know you love my story if you've come this far.^_^ And just 'cause I don't say "review" for every chapter doesn't mean you shouldn't. So, please, for my sake, review? Pretty please with a cherry on top??

Next part will be out on normal time. Monday or Sunday....Most likely Monday. I'm working hard on the current part, but it should be out on normal time.

Thanks for reading this!! ^_^

And again, HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, lotus-chan!!^_^

-Maze Puppet


	17. Part Fourteen: The Kid and His Master

The Hidden Artist

Part Fourteen: The Kid and His Master

* * *

Kanda listened to the less than light-hearted bantering going on between the kid and the annoying old man that the Moyashi called his Master.

He heard the old man call the kid a fag and glared dangerously in the direction of his front door. Allen didn't seem to be affected by the insult given his tone -they were both speaking rather loudly, so it was easy to hear them- so Kanda didn't worry much. It still pissed him off a bit, though.

Kanda didn't have anything to do for the day, but he left his cell phone on anyway, in case the university called him in. He would like to turn it off to avoid any calls from Tiedoll, which Kanda had no doubt that _that man_ would call, but since Tiedoll, Marie, and Daisya all knew both of his numbers -cell phone and apartment phone- it would be pointless. At least with his cell phone he could screen calls.

After laying in bed for a few more minutes after the voices next door died down, Kanda got up with a sigh and headed into his bathroom to take a shower. He listened as the kid and his supposed Master left the apartment next door and walk down the hall. They spoke somewhat quietly, which was a surprise, given their previous -loud- conversation. He took a quick shower, carefully washing his long hair with unscented shampoo, then wrapped a towel around his waist and went to his dresser to throw some clothes in a gym bag. He figured that since he hadn't much to do, he would go to the gym at the university and practice with his sword for a while.

He dressed in simple black, tight jeans and a dark blue shirt, slipping his calf-high boots on, each heel hitting the floor with a solid thump. Truthfully, Kanda could dress in anything he wanted and be comfortable, but he rather liked wearing boots. They gave him a threatening and orderly look that he enjoyed. He could look fashionable and threatening without even trying. Not that he cared about fashion at all.

But, then again, he was sure he could look threatening no matter what he wore, which was equally pleasing.

As Kanda was about to shoulder his gym bag when a knock sounded at his door. He flicked his dark eyes over to the front door quizzically. He dropped the straps of the gym bag and made his way over. The door wasn't locked, so he just opened it swiftly, surprising the person on the other side.

"H-Hello, sir. Good afternoon." the man said. It wasn't anyone Kanda knew, so he just blinked and waited for the person to continue. After a moment of awkward silence, Kanda noticed the package -a rather large one- in the man's hands.

"A delivery, then?" Kanda asked impatiently.

"Uhh...Yeah. I was directed to this room...well, because the number on the box is this apartment. And it's from the university. There is no specifying name on it, as to who it is supposed to be for, but I think it could be for you, sir." the man said, steadily becoming more and more nervous under Kanda's stare.

"So, uhh, no need to sign anything. Th-Thanks and have a good day, sir." With a look of almost horror, the man turned tail and all but ran away down the hall. Using his foot to kick the door shut, the Japanese man made his way back into the living room. Gym bag forgotten, Kanda analyzed the package as it sat on the kitchen table.

It was about three feet by four feet and only two and a half inches thick. It wasn't very heavy and didn't make any sound when shaken.

Kanda slit his eyes at the box curiously. The box was addressed to his apartment, but he didn't remember ordering anything. It was a box from the art department and he had no affiliation with the art department. Hell, he didn't think he had ever even been to the art building. It could belong to someone else. It could have been a mistake, written to the wrong address..?

The numbers on the box did lead to his specific address. The Japanese man shrugged and pulled a pocket knife from his pocket and cut through the tape to open the box. Inside was a paper....With something on it.

Upon closer inspection, Kanda noticed the high quality of the paper. It was very good quality art paper, much like what Kanda used for some of his sketches. Reaching in, he very carefully pulled out the paper, not wanting to damage it in any way. The first thing he noticed as the image on the paper was revealed to him was the quality of the artistry. It was an amateur's work, but very well done. He commended the artist on the specific brush strokes that told a delicate story. As more was revealed, the shape of a person's legs presented themselves. His experienced artist's eye noticed and took note of all the flaws, which there were a few of them, but the person was pretty good. No professional, but still good at what they did.

Kanda noticed something about the figure that struck a chord of familiarity inside him, making him freeze with anticipation. He had to remind himself to continue pulling the portrait out with a shake of his head. His dark eyes flicked down to the bottom left corner of the portrait on instinct, to discover the name of the artist -or at the very least their signature- and froze again.

"A.W.?" he queried aloud, ignoring the obviousness of the initials. It was the kid's work. He _had_ said that he was in an art class at the university. With one last quick tug, Kanda freed the portrait from the box.

"What the fuck??"

It was him. It was Kanda himself! The kid had drawn him?! Kanda dropped the portrait on the table and stared at it. Why? And when?!

"Che!" the Japanese man muttered, turning sharply on his heel, swiping up his gym bag as he did, and headed out the door as quickly as he could. He never -in a million years never- would have admitted, but a light blush crossed his cheeks even as his jaw clenched, making the muscle on the side of his face stand out. Swift fingers locked the door and before the resounding click could die off, Kanda was already half-way down the hall, headed towards his car outside the building.

* * *

The gym was on the other side of the small city, which warranted driving the car over there. Kanda could have walked, but it would be a bit of a waste in Kanda's eyes. Walking, it would take him about thirty minutes, but driving -given Kanda's speed-demon tendencies- would talk less than ten. That isn't to say that Kanda didn't like walking to places, but not in the midst of a city. Maybe out of the city, in a forest, down a path, beside a stream...Anywhere but a bustling city. In such cases as that, Kanda would much, much prefer driving.

The gym wasn't packed -not very surprising to Kanda, as most of the people who went there were the younger generation, such as himself, and most of them were either sleeping off a hangover or at the university- so it was easy for Kanda to get to his personal locker and get ready for his exercises and then sword practice. The gym had some punching dummies and punching bags, but nothing for Kanda to strike with his wooden practice sword, which was unfortunate. With his hits, Kanda could not use one of the dummies or punching bags. The first, last and only time he had been allowed to try by the gym, the dummy had damn-near been split in half with one swing alone.

It rather made Kanda miss the practice dummies -or dolls, as Tiedoll called them, which was weird- that Tiedoll had collected for Kanda's use throughout the years.

Kanda twitched.

Tiedoll. That man, really! He had spoiled his adopted sons too much. Marie had almost a full orchestra of string instruments that Tiedoll had given him. Daisya had received ticket after ticket for soccer games all around the world, in addition to having pretty much a full on soccer field for a backyard in every house the dysfunctional group had ever lived in. Not that Kanda didn't mind the spacious backyards. They allowed him to escape his "family" for hours on end when hiding away in his room didn't seem to cut it -his "family" had a knack of walking in unannounced...and a knack for forgetting the definition of "privacy".

As for Kanda, Tiedoll had signed Kanda up for every martial arts, weapon-technique, and battle-logic class that Kanda even so much as showed interest in or glanced at. Not to mention the equipment necessary. And then there was the even more heartily supported artistic streak -which permitted Tiedoll to assault Kanda with random "gifts" of art supplies and art classes.

It was clear that Tiedoll loved his "sons", glaringly so.

Kanda sighed softly, tightening the belt at his waist, securing his practice kimono.

Kimono.

The Japanese man twitched again. Damn that picture. Damn that Brit! Of all the _things_-! He quickly slid the wooden katana into his belt and left the locker room. A private area outside the main building awaited him. He did earn a few odd stares for his attire, but no one openly questioned him. As if they would.

Two hours of exhausting sword maneuvers later, Kanda found himself kneeling on the grass, breathing hard, trying to meditate in an attempt to calm himself. It was natural for Kanda to meditate, but his mind was....not being very cooperative. After the failed attempt, Kanda stood up swiftly, eyebrows furrowed in frustration. His kimono was loose, revealing his chest -with a slight sheen on it from his exertion- and a black mark reaching across from the upper left part of his chest towards the center. With an absent -almost instinctual- movement, he adjusted the kimono to cover it.

With his practice over with, a quick shower was just the thing for relaxation before he headed to the _Hidden Artist_. He might get there a little early, but that was alright.

In the locker room, Kanda realized that if he were to leave for the _Hidden Artist_ right after he left the gym, he would be almost half an hour early. Not even Lenalee would be there yet. If he had the keys, though, he could get in there before anyone else and hide that damnable folder from sight. Damn Komui and his poor organization skills.

He was sure he had a copy of Lenalee's keys somewhere in his apartment that Komui had insisted he have just in case he needed into the studio for some reason or another. He wasn't sure that among those keys was the front entrance door key, but he knew that the back door key -the one to the studio, so that Kanda could just go to the back of the building and forgo having to go through the gallery- was present on the key ring. He might actually hide the folder in his apartment, like he had thought about doing the night before.

Speaking of....Komui had called him about a job in Austria...at least he thought it was Austria. When was that man -the one representing the people who wanted to hire Kanda- supposed to come visiting? Komui hadn't said.... Typical jackass.

Kanda was just about done dressing when his cell phone rang. What the fuck was with everyone having to call _him_?! His hand twitched to destroy the obnoxious device even as he answered it. He didn't recognize the ring tone, so it was either the client or....someone else.

"What?"

"This is my stupid apprentice's gay neighbor, right?"

"_What?!_"

"Apparently. Anyway, kid, I want you to pick up that worthless, British, adopted son of mine from the university. I have to go, so I can't take the kid home."

"Who the fuck are you?!"

"Geez, you don't listen well, do you? I thought you were Tiedoll's boy, but I must be wrong. His kids are sharper than that. Anyway, I'm Cross Marian, Allen's master or adoptive father, whichever you prefer. I have to leave town now, so I want you to take care of the kid. Go pick him up from the university from his classes on homosexuality."

"...." Kanda was speechless. Who the fuck did this man think he was?

"You listening, kid? I ain't gonna repeat myself for your brainless sake!"

'Ain't gonna'? Where the hell did this man learn his vocabulary?

"Che. Whatever. Hang up and leave me the hell alone."

"Right, kid. Just one last thing."

Kanda froze. The joking, patronizing tone was gone and in its place was all seriousness and business.

"Take good care of the kid, you got me? I don't give a flying fuck your affiliation with him....Just take care of him."

Kanda stared at the space before him blankly. A sharp click brought him back to reality and he realized that Cross had already hung up.

"Take care of the Moyashi?" the Japanese man questioned aloud. Something wasn't right. Shaking his head, Kanda hurriedly gathered his things and left the locker room.

Take care of Allen?

* * *


	18. Part Fifteen: The Whole Picture

The Hidden Artist

Part Fifteen: The Whole Picture

* * *

"Idiot Apprentice." Cross said as he drove. The man had randomly decided to drive Allen to the university and refused to let Allen complain. The Brit didn't say anything, but got a very odd feeling in his chest.

"Yes, Master?" Allen responded, staring out the window.

"Your father....I didn't see him for five years before he died. Since before you got a hold of him." Allen looked over at Cross, furrowing his brow.

"Your...point, Master?"

"He raised you well enough. Made it a little easier on me when you started to leech from me, you useless little shit. He was a good man. And he influenced you well enough. You're still a little homo, so he didn't do that great of a job, but...." Cross trailed off, glaring at the road. Allen's throat closed up, denying him the chance to talk. He was pretty sure that Cross would kick him out of the car if he said anything at this point anyway. Allen looked away, back out the window at the passing scenery -rushing past, actually, as Cross was driving almost eighty- and cleared his throat.

"Th-Thanks....Master."

"Shut the hell up."

"Yes, sir."

Cross had kicked Allen out of the car when they reached the university, complaining about Allen being dirty and messing up his upholstery. What the bloody hell was with these people and their precious cars?

_Mana....Walker._

Allen tilted his head back, staring at the tree above him. His last class had been let out about five minutes previous, so he was resting before he had to walk home.

_My father...._

The leaves rustled endlessly with the wind, creating a slight background theme. It was soothing and quiet, perfect for the Brit's current mood.

_I can remember....When I was young. Before Mana adopted me, I was....a lot _like_ Kanda. It's hard to recall, but I remember that I was always so angry at the world. Having been shunned by society for years, I felt no pity, felt no emotion for the world._

Light grey eyes closed against the sight of the world in order to remember.

_Before _that_ happened....Before Mana taught me to think and feel, how to love and be loved....I hated the world. Resented it for leaving a defenseless child to fend for himself. Resented my birth parents for leaving me on the doorstep of that man's home. Even if I could remember their faces, I don't think I would want to. Cruelty is _all_ they had in their hearts..._

Strong, lean limbs shook in the wind with anger, sorrow and rage. Allen felt all his muscles tense up, his stomach clenching with nausea.

_How could they?! A child?!_

_Mana.....I love you. My dear father. You taught me to be human. You taught me love. You meant the world to me.....And then _that_ happened-!_

Allen's arms gave out under him, dropping him against the back of the tree. It nearly knocked the breath from his chest, expelling it in out quick rush, but Allen did nothing.

"Mana...." he murmured, eyes still closed. He fought a sudden rush of strong emotion with some difficulty, but managed to keep it down. A shudder wracked Allen's body with the force of the emotion against his will.

"God, it's so hard. What fate lies in this path? With Mana gone....With Cross leaving these wills to me. Being told about....._that_ Uncle.... That mysterious clan? What is _going to happen_?" Allen asked, his voice a soft whisper.

"Oi! Moyashi! What the hell are you doing?"

"Huh? Kanda?" Allen asked, snapping to attention, nearly giving himself whiplash from sitting up so quickly. Kanda was standing a few feet away, arms crossed over his chest, glaring down at Allen.

"Yeah, kid. Your stupid Master...Father, what the hell ever you want to call him, called me and asked me to pick you up here. What the fuck is going on? How the hell did that creepy bastard get my cell phone number??" Kanda demanded. He had an odd look on his face, as if he could tell something about Allen.

"Wh-What?" Allen asked, trying to regain his composure. He liked Kanda and all that, but it really wasn't any of his business about Mana and Cross. Though he supposed that he could...maybe, eventually tell him about it. If he was inheriting a boat load of money, he supposed that someone would eventually tell Kanda. It should at least be Allen....Right?

"Oh! Master stole my cell phone! Stupid Master!" Allen growled, feeling in his pocket. So that was why he had bumped into Allen that time, before they even left the apartment!

"Bloody pick-pocket. I'll kill him someday, I swear." the Brit sighed, folding his arms over his chest almost in a mimicking manner of Kanda's stance. Kanda watched him momentarily.

"Well, hurry your ass up. I don't want to sit here all damned day!" Kanda hissed, rolling his shoulders back.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Was I keeping you from something?" Allen asked, grabbing his book bag.

"Che, yeah you were, Moyashi. I have better things to do than to cater to the wishes of a creepy old bastard."

"I'm surprised you actually listened to him. I rarely do." Allen commented, following along behind the older man. He could hear Kanda sniff and mumble something.

"What? I didn't hear you, Kanda. Sorry, I was too far behind to hear you."

"I said you're stupid! And that I don't know what kind of man he is! Jesus, he could be someone you respect-!" Kanda bit his tongue -efficiently shutting up with a light blush on his cheeks that Allen noticed, but said nothing about- and walked a little faster. Allen blushed a little too, his heart excited.

Kanda actually cares what I think.... Allen grinned and tugged on Kanda's sleeve.

"Slow down, BaKanda. Or do you intend to leave me here?" he asked teasingly.

"I have half a mind to."

"You have half a mind?! You admit it!"

"Shut the hell up, retard! That's not what I fuckin' meant!"

Allen gasped with unnecessary dramatic emotion, still teasing Kanda

"You're using American slang, Kanda! We aren't that close to the border, are we?!"

"Shut the fuck up!"

Allen grinned again as Kanda stormed off, sending off waves of furious emotion. Thanks Kanda.

They made it back to the apartments in relative silence, with an occasional teasing comment from Allen -and the subsequent angered explosion from Kanda.

As Allen passed Kanda to go to his apartment, he suddenly turned to face Kanda, who was already facing him.

"Uhhh, Kanda-!"

"What?"

"I....Well, thank you for coming to get me. I'm rather tired, so the trip back here would have killed me for sure. Thanks."

"Whatever. If you died, then Lavi would cease bothering you and bother me." Kanda sniffed with a dismissive air. Allen smiled.

"Anyway, stupid Moyashi. There is something I would like to question you about." the Japanese man said before Allen could turn back to his apartment door.

"Ehh? What's that?"

"Get your ass in my apartment, Moyashi." the Japanese man commanded. Allen furrowed his brow in slight offense, but did as he was told.

"Tell me, Moyashi. Just what the hell is that?" Kanda asked, pointing at something on his kitchen table. Confused, Allen moved closer to get a better look. When finally he was close enough, a violent blush erupted on his face.

"Bloody hell! How did you get that?!" he demanded, sounding rather frantic.

"Apparently, you don't even know your own damned address, Moyashi."

Allen was silent for a while. He could have sworn that he had put the right address down! He looked at the address on the box next to the table, and sure enough, the address was Kanda's apartment. How in the world had gotten that wrong?? He heard Kanda take a few steps closer before the Brit spoke again.

"It's nothing weird, okay?" he said, as if trying to reassure Kanda. He wasn't sure if it would work. Kanda said nothing.

"It's just....That was inspiration that came to me.....The morning after we got drunk. If it's a problem...." Allen trailed off, fingering the closest corner of the portrait. His face was hot with embarrassment. He sure as hell hadn't wanted to show anyone the picture, let alone Kanda. He supposed that he probably shouldn't have done the portrait if that were the case....but he had to do it. His fingers had itched to start the sketch and had burned to finished the paint. It was...satisfying. At the time...all he could think was that this was the closest he would likely come to having Kanda in his possession again...

"Hmph. You're such a sentimental freak. Possess me?" Kanda sniffed.

Shit. He hadn't realized that he had said that aloud.

"At the time, it was true, though." Allen said in response, turning to Kanda.

"I had never imagined...never even tried to hope...that something like that morning could actually be true." he confessed, wincing a little. Kanda looked faintly uncomfortable for a moment.

"Che. It's not as if I envisioned my twenty-second birthday would be spent as an official homosexual." Kanda shot back, considerably lacking any venom that could have been there. Allen smiled; at least Kanda wasn't trying to kill him over it.

"So you're twenty-one?"

"Duh."

"I didn't know. It's not as though you ever bothered to _tell_ me." Allen sniffed, almost mockingly. There was a moment of silence -not awkward or tense, just calm- and then Kanda spoke again.

"The work shift starts in ten minutes....Hurry your ass up so we can leave."

"Right. Give me a few moments and I will be ready." Allen carefully picked up his art-work and then silently made his way to the front door, moving around Kanda, who hadn't moved from his spot by the couch.

"Oi! Moyashi!" Kanda called as Allen left the apartment. The Brit turned and stuck his head back in the door.

"Yeah, BaKanda?"

"Throw that damn picture away. You don't need it."

".....Right."


	19. Part Sixteen: Introducing Tyki Mikk

The Hidden Artist

Part Sixteen: Introducing Tyki Mikk, The Representative

* * *

_Throw that damn picture away. You don't need it. ….You don't need it._

….Damn, had he really said something so ridiculous? However true it happened to be, it was still stupid and rather silly of him.

_You don't need it._ Because you have me, stupid Moyashi.

Kanda flushed, color coming to his cheeks. He coughed in dismissal, wiping at his cheek as he did, and then moved into the kitchen to get a drink of water. By the time he finished his cup of water, Allen had already come back into Kanda's apartment and was waiting just outside the kitchen. Kanda looked at the Brit, who was staring at the ground, fiddling with his sleeve almost nervously.

Like a little school girl. What a freak.

"Quite standing there like an idiot. Hurry your ass up so we can go!" Kanda sniffed derisively at the kid, who looked up in surprise.

"I'm not an idiot, you wanker!" he snapped back, folding his arms over his chest in a pout.

"You sure look like one to me." Kanda shot back, repressing his grin. He loved irritating the kid. He reacted every single time, without fail.

"Well, you can't look past your own ego to save your bloody life!"

"Whatever. Are you done, then? Can we get to work?"

"Fine, you wanker." Allen sniffed, turning around and heading to the door before Kanda. The Japanese man followed along after, watching the sulking kid with a wicked grin. He turned off all the lights and locked the door as he moved, never taking his eyes off the Brit for more than a second.

As they left the apartment building, the Moyashi suddenly turned on Kanda, looking serious. Kanda was taken aback, but didn't show it.

"Kanda-! I wanted to apologize...For the other morning in my apartment. Regardless of what kind of mood I was in, I should have been more hospitable."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kanda asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Uh-! The other morning! When you woke up? And I was so rude that you got angry at me? I wasn't thinking right-! I should have been nicer to you, Kanda, and for that I am sorry. I should have offered you something to drink or breakfast, or at the very least a 'good morning'. I didn't and I realized that, and I felt really bad for it!" Allen explained, a slight blush erupting on his cheeks. Kanda furrowed his brow, trying to remember. The Brit waited for a few moments as Kanda thought.

"You...Do remember, don't you?"

"Obviously it's not important enough for me to remember. All I remember is your ridiculous face when you woke up." Kanda sniffed, brushing past the Moyashi.

"Oh. I see." the kid said, sounding both confused and relieved. Kanda sniffed. What a loser. Of course, Kanda did remember, but as he had said, it wasn't important.

The rest of the way to the _Hidden Artist_ was relatively quiet between Kanda and the white-haired Brit. Some minor bickering went on, but not much else. In Kanda's opinion, the kid looked rather thoughtful, which was okay with him. Let the kid get his head out of his ass and start thinking properly.

When they got there, Lenalee had already opened and looked as though she had been there for a while already. Lavi was there too, of course, following Lenalee around like a puppy, grinning as he did. Kanda cringed in disgust. The red-head had quite literally pounced when Daisya left. Truthfully, he didn't know who -if anyone- Lenalee would choose. For the moment, though, it looked like she was fairly oblivious of their affections. Which was how Komui -and Kanda, to tell the truth- would like to to stay.

Kanda couldn't choose between the two because for one, Daisya was his practically his brother, so he couldn't say no to him, but the idea of seeing a depressed Lavi was scary indeed. Whatever. He really didn't need to involve himself. As long as Daisya and Lavi didn't take it too far and try anything with Lenalee, Kanda was okay with it.

He would never admit it, but he did care for Lenalee like a sister. Nothing near as bad as Komui, but he would gladly dismember the first man to hurt her in any way.

"Kanda! Can I entrust Komui's office to you today?" Lenalee called from the cafe as the Japanese man walked into the main gallery.

"Whatever." Kanda replied before heading to the office. He heard the Brit make his way over to the piano and wondered why the Brit's master had come to "visit". When he had walked up to the Moyashi after arriving at the University, the kid had looked confused and rather shocked about...something. Kanda had figured that that was the result of the kid seeing his master -given his reaction earlier that morning when Cross came knocking- but the more Kanda thought about it, the less it seemed likely.

The other day, when Cross had approached Kanda at the back exit of the _Hidden Artist_, the Moyashi's reaction had been much different. He had seemed like he wanted nothing more than to slam something into Cross' face. But at the University, the kid looked....stricken, bewildered, lost. Something that red-headed bastard had said to the Moyashi.

Kanda shook the thoughts from his head and focused on finding the folder containing his private information. It's not like anything that had been exchanged between the Moyashi and his psychotic master -or adoptive father- was anything that interested Kanda.

The folder was easy to find, having not been moved from the desk, or even touched in the past day. Kanda slipped it into a drawer of the desk until he could take care of it later. In the mean time, he would look for any more revealing information regarding himself and main employment with Komui.

"Kanda!! Kanda, my dear, dear-"

"What, Komui." Kanda snapped. The Chinese scientist looked surprised.

"Are you being especially irritable today, Kanda?" Komui asked, smiling disarmingly at the Japanese man. Kanda glared.

"What the hell do you want."

"I've come to introduce you to someone special!" Komui announced excitedly, his beret-encased head bobbing happily. Kanda blinked slowly, waiting.

"Well, right then. This is Lord Tyki Mikk, the representative from Austria! He will be monitoring you for a while!" Komui said, moving out of the way so that a tall, dark-skinned man could come into the room. Komui closed the door behind them, to ensure privacy.

Kanda analyzed the man before him as he sat at Komui's desk. He was European, but certainly not Austrian. He looked more Hispanic or something similar. In any case, he was a very tall, finely-dressed man, with an air of confidence about him. Kanda decided that he really did not like the man in the least. He was over-dressed in too fine of clothes for Kanda's simple tastes.

"Indeed, I am Lord Tyki Mikk, but the Lord part isn't necessary, I shouldn't think. You may just call me Tyki Mikk, mister...?" Tyki inquired, trying to pull out a name from Kanda's mouth. The Japanese man blinked yet again, his glare not leaving his face.

"Kanda." the Japanese man said simply.

"And let's get one thing straight, Mikk. You are observing only. Don't get it my way, and don't try to get friendly," he added, crossing his arms over his chest in a distrustful manner.

"Very well, Mr. Kanda. Observing only." Tyki said with an aristocratic smile. He bowed to Kanda rather elegantly and turned to Komui.

"Well, Kanda, Tyki is here using the guise of an interested buyer of art, so that will permit him the time to stay here. If you have any questions about Kanda's artwork, please feel free to ask me, Lord Tyki." Komui said as what looked like a blush crossed his cheeks. Kanda twitched. What the hell was that freak of a scientist trying to pull?!

"Mr. Lee, please. I am indeed interested in buying here, but not any simple piece of art. I want the _artist_..." Tyki said, smiling yet again as he directed his gaze over to Kanda with an almost animalistic glint in his eyes.

"Please, Mr. Lee. I would like to be introduced to your other employees here at the _Hidden Artist_. I have indeed heard much about the artist after whom this place was named, but I want to get to know the others that are here." Tyki said elegantly, smiling down at Komui.

"Oh, yes, one more thing, Mr. Kanda! Before I leave to meet the others, please, let me ask one favor. I would enjoy seeing some of your current works and possibly even to see you at work, painting, if you would approve." the dark-skinned, smooth-talking man inquired. Kanda narrowed his eyes.

"My work is done in private, Mikk. So there is no damned chance of that happening. Mind you, Mikk, this is to be kept a secret. Keep your damned mouth shut about my work around the people here. It's none of their goddamned business what I do and you haven't a fucking right to tell them, got it?" the Japanese man snapped, glaring. He really did not trust the man. That did not mean he wouldn't work for him, though he had yet to fully decide, but he certainly didn't trust him.

"Very well, Mr. Kanda. I hope we come to a full agreement about your employment." Tyki replied, bowing once more. Komui lead him out of the office quietly, leaving Kanda to the peace of the office. Kanda leaned back in his chair, glaring distrustfully at the closed door.

"Slimy bastard."

Kanda stayed in Komui's office for as long as he could, going through files and folders, searching for any information about the 'Hidden Artist'. He really didn't feel like leaving the office just yet, knowing that Tyki was likely still out and about in the main gallery. When all that could be done was finished, Kanda brushed dust from his shirt and stood up from the desk to make his way to the office door. Light piano playing met his ears -the Moyashi's without a doubt- when he opened the door. The sight directly across from the office door was the grand piano at which the Moyashi was playing, with a tall European man standing over him.

Kanda could not see Tyki's face, but he could surely see the Moyashi's. A grin of pure amusement and joy, eyes lit up, cheeks aglow. A twinge of jealously shot through Kanda as he looked on.

"Yuu! You finally emerged! I'm so glad to see that you are okay. I thought that Komui's office had swallowed you up for sure!" a gleeful voice called from the cafe, just off to Kanda's right.

"Baka Usagi, do not call me that or I will peel your skin from your body." Kanda hissed, never taking his sharp gaze off of Allen and Tyki.

"Okay, okay, whatever. Have you met Tyki, yet, Kanda? He's an interested buyer for art from our own little gallery, straight from Europe! Isn't that amazing?" Lavi asked, speaking excitedly as he smiled at Kanda. The Japanese man ignored him.

What the _hell _was that man doing with the Moyashi?

Lavi seemed to notice Kanda's distraction and looked over at the grand piano.

"Ahh...So he has caught sight of the cute little Moyashi. What are you going to do, Kanda?" Lavi asked as he leaned against the wall beside Kanda.

"Whatever the hell I choose to do, Baka Usagi. Mind your own damned business." Kanda snapped, dealing Lavi a punch to the side of the head before moving off. He went into the studio and locked the door behind him. He knew that he wouldn't be able to get any actual work done, but he figured that he might as well organize his pieces so that the next couple of pieces could be put up. Komui had told him a while ago that there was an influx of people who wanted to buy his work, so the pieces that had already been put on display had already sold and were just waiting for one thing or another before they could be sent off to their owner.

So, he had plenty to entertain his thoughts -ignoring just how happy the Moyashi had looked while talking to Mikk- and keep his hands busy.

The studio seemed to have been neglected for the past few days, various surfaces collecting dust, paint brushes laying in disarray. Kanda had some organizing to and quite a bit at that.

* * *

Dear readers;

I know that it has been forever since I last updated. I'm really, really, really sorry, but my computer was being dysfunctional and I had absolutely no access to internet. I tried to use my roommate's computer, but I never seemed to get enough time. So...I am sorry that it took so long. I don't like putting author's notes in this story because it ruins the flow of the story, but this was important. I wanted you to know that I am not being neglectful...just occupied and incapable of updating.

Any questions that you have, I will answer, providing you review..^_^

-Maze Puppet


	20. Tyki Mikk's Intermission

The Hidden Artist

Tyki Mikk's Intermission

* * *

For years now, I have been a leading member of a special clan known only as the Noah. One cannot say exactly what it is we do, for if one did....Well, it would be the end for that "one". Having just dealt with a traitor of sorts, I find that I lack patience in a great many things.

The Noah Association, or the Noah Clan was a simple and yet complicated group. There was no hierarchy, per se, and yet there were the elite among us, and the leader. I, unfortunately, am not among the elite, being one of the younger members, although I do know of the existence -if not identity- of most of the other Noah Clan members. We are not a very large group -in fact, our numbers have shrunk in the past year- but we control a lot in the modern world. We are that powerful, that influential.

To become a member of the Noah, one must have been chosen years and years before one is accepted. And yet....Where did we go wrong with the Traitor? He was a member longer than I, chosen years before I was born, and yet he had the mind, the gall to betray. Wretched creature; I am glad he was killed.

I was snapped from my contemplation as I stared out my window, smoking a fine cigarette, by a commanding voice. I turned and blinked at the person before me.

"My dearest Tyki. I have a request for you."

"Yes, Lord of the Millennium? And please, refrain from using my real name here. We are about secrecy are we not, Lord?"

"Very well, Lord of Pleasure."

"Now what was it you needed, Lord of the Millennium?" I asked, tipping my hat to the side with two gloved fingers.

"There is a miniscule, obscure little town in Canada that hides an exquisite artist that absolutely has to paint a mural in my dear niece, Lady Rhode's bedroom. I request that you go there as my representative and seek out this artist. I have drawn up a contract with the artist's manager, but I would like your approval on the man."

"I understand, Lord of the Millennium." My approval? Was my Lord testing me? Did he not trust me? Or was it something else, something different? Regardless, one does not turn down such a request. Lady Rhode was my niece as well, not that I was related to the Lord of the Millennium, but Lady Rhode was my eldest brother's adopted daughter.

However, Lady Rhode was very nearly considered everyone's niece. Despite her age, everyone doted on her, enabling her childish behavior. I can't say I approve, but it wasn't as though I was entirely innocent of doting on her.

"One more thing, Lord of Pleasure."

"Yes?" One favor was a little extreme, but there was another? Surely this one would be more interesting, or at the very least, more important. So it was not a test, then? That was reassuring, without a doubt.

"There is one other little thing in Canada that I want dealt with. A remnant of what we previously thought was settled."

I was silent for a short time, measuring the Lord of the Millennium's expression. There were not very many matters that were important enough to have any forgotten detail dealt with. In other words, I knew exactly what he spoke of. The Traitor.

"Is that so..? Then that must be dealt with immediately. Give me the details, my Lord."

* * *

The plane trip to Canada was uneventful, but my fingers tapped restlessly against most surfaces that they came upon. I was agitated, to say the least. To think that that matter was not yet settled. That that man's legacy had continued. All remnants must be destroyed...eradicated. The accursed Traitor.

My mission, my assignment, was to cut off the loose end left over from less than a year ago.

"_Make sure that this is done secretly and quietly, Lord of Pleasure. I would hate for this plot to be discovered and then lead back to us. You understand the importance of this, right, Lord of Pleasure?"_

The Lord of the Millennium's words echoed in my head. The name. The relation. The story. The will left to the Traitor's last closest relative. No one would suspect a move made so soon.

Actually, I barely believed that the will had been left at all. Mostly because up until the death of the Traitor, none in the Noah Clan suspected his betrayal. Only the Lord of the Millennium seemed to have thought anything was wrong. He must have known that he was going to die, or that the Lord of the Millennium was going to discover his plot against the rest of the Noah Clan.

I shook my head dismissively. At this point, it didn't really matter who did or did not know what the Traitor was planning before he died by Lord Millennium's hand. All that mattered was to take care of the remnant and then hire the artist for Lady Rhode's room.

I only hoped that this trip would be quick. Spending time in the Americas, be they the North continent or the South, was not something I preferred to do. It rated in the same area as spending time in Northern Russia. There was absolutely nothing to do in either place. Although, I have to admit, Las Vegas was probably one of the most fun cities I have ever been to. Gambling, casual drinking, beautiful bodies fluttering about to be admired....Yes, it was quite nice there.

My fingers itched to handle some cards, a strong urge that had me regretting not bringing my own deck of cards. Perhaps there would be a casino of some sort in the little town that the Lord of the Millennium was sending me to. I highly doubted it, though.

The air plane stewardess came to me, asking if I wanted anything to eat, if I was thirsty, if I wanted a warm towel. I denied the idea of food -plane food never appealed to me, and I doubt being in first class on some North American airline would change that opinion- but I gladly accepted a drink.

"Have you any champagne, miss?" I asked, smiling up at her. The lady blushed and fluttered her eyelashes at me in an attempt to flirt and admitted, yes, they did. She listed off a bunch of cheap brands that a person could buy from any grocery store. I refrained from cringing in disgust at her.

"Have you anything of a little....higher class, miss?" I asked, trying to keep the distaste from my tone. I was sure it wasn't working, but the woman was so foolishly enamored that she completely missed it. Not that it mattered. If the woman had a problem with my preferences, I could have her fired in a matter of hours.

"Oh, yes sir, give me a moment. I will go get the best kind we have."

How would I deal with the little problem? Sure, I could kill the person with my bare hands, ridding the world of their distasteful presence, however, there was always the chance that they would be prepared for such a thing to happen and fend it off, God forbid perhaps even counter-attack. That could _not_ happen, no matter what. Failure was certainly not an option.

I supposed that I could analyze the person, test them, see what makes them tick, find out their weakness, and then strike when they least suspected it. My Lord had said that this must be done quietly, secretly and with the utmost professionalism.

_But_.....Secrecy was never my thing.

I _would_ analyze and I _would_ test them, but not from the shadows. I would get to know them on a personal level. I would get closer to them so that they felt like they could trust me with anything. And then...I would crush them with my bare hands. Remnant of the Traitor! He would suffer.

For this person to work at the same place as the man who would be painting my dear niece's room was rather fortuitous. And odd, too, the more I thought about it. The Noah Clan knew well of the happenings in the institution where Komui Lee, the supposed "Hidden Artist's" agent, worked and monitored their activities with a sharp eye. We knew all about the _Hidden Artist_ as well, and had known since the establishment had been opened. There was not much that was kept secret from us, when we were as interested in something as we were about Komui Lee.

We also knew about the Institution's affiliation with the university and all the activity there. We had plenty of spies watching and plenty of people willing to accept some money into their wallet for information. Cross Marian's brief presence in the area, Froi Tiedoll's trip to Europe, Cloud Nyne's work in the Institution as a geneticist; we knew everything.

The only oddity was the Remnant. We didn't know of his presence up until he showed at the University and the _Hidden Artist_. We had known that Cross had a adopted son and we had known that the Traitor had had a nephew -his brother's adopted son-, but we hadn't given much thought to the matter; it was not important. After all, he was but a child! But now that he had been left -by will- something incredibly important, we could not allow him to live. We would take his life and we would take back what was ours.

The fact that he had fallen right into our hands...Right into the center of one of our many spider webs, where he would never escape, was pure, divine providence. The world was our playground and we had power like no other in history, and God Himself was at our backs. None could defy us.

"Sir, here is your champagne. If you have any problems or concerns, please, let one of us know and we will be right on it." the stewardess said, smiling somewhat nervously. I glanced up at her, causing her to flinch back. Oh dear, I must have been caught up in my thoughts. Likely I was giving her a scary look. I rearranged my expression to one of serenity and thanked her with a relaxed smile. Apparently, it hadn't been convincing enough. She bowed shakily and staggered away, her unbalanced steps having nothing to do with turbulence.

Taking a sip of my champagne, I grimaced. It was not the best quality, unlike the kind that I was used to, but it did the job. The fragrance was pleasant enough and the taste was acceptable, so the woman could keep her job. I would submit a complaint, however, when I finally got off this God-awful plane.

* * *


	21. Part Seventeen: Warning

The Hidden Artist

Part Seventeen: Warning

* * *

Allen watched Kanda stalk away to Komui's office after having been assigned to deal with paper work for the ever-absent man. He couldn't forget Kanda's words before they had left the apartments.

_Throw that damn picture away. You don't need it._

Don't need it, huh? He couldn't help but wonder just what that was supposed to mean. Did it have something to do with what Allen had unintentionally said just before that? If so...

All that he could remember saying was that Kanda had been his inspiration... And that as he had painted Kanda's form onto the canvas, all he could think was that that was the closest he would likely come to having Kanda in his possession again.

..._You don't need it._

As Allen sat down at his piano, he blushed heavily. Had Kanda meant...? His heart thumped excitedly in his chest. He ran his fingers over the keys of the piano, thinking of any number of songs that he could play. A random composition came to mind and so his fingers began playing it automatically, hitting each note perfectly. It was a refreshing sound, encompassing Allen with it's sweet tones. A blissful smile tugged at the Brit's lips.

What about what Kanda had said later, as the two had been leaving the apartment building to go to work? When Allen had been trying to apologize for his rude behavior? He had been saying something along the lines of not being more hospitable, and then waited for Kanda's response.

"_You...Do remember, don't you?"_

"_Obviously it's not important enough for me to remember. All I remember is your ridiculous face when you woke up."_

Not important enough to remember. Another example of Kanda being...nice? What an odd man he was. Allen's smile didn't falter as he finished up the composition, the last few notes playing out under his fingers. Regardless of how eccentric the man could be, Allen still cared for him.

* * *

Allen mindlessly, blissfully played a few more songs before he was tapped on the shoulder by someone. His playing only faltered a little as he finished off the last few notes.

"Yes?" he asked politely, turning to face the person.

"Good evening, young sir. I heard your beautiful piano-playing and had to come over to introduce myself to you. My name is Tyki Mikk." a tall man said, bowing elegantly at Allen. Allen's grey eyes widened fractionally in surprise. It had been a while since someone had bowed to _him_ like that. He stood up and bowed in return, not quite as elegantly, but he tried.

"Tyki Mikk, my name is Allen Walker. And thank you so much. I try very hard to do my best when playing the piano. It is my favorite past time and the greatest blessing I have." Allen said, smiling up at the man.

"Ahh, I see. Then, would you mind if I listened as you play? I would be deeply honored." Tyki said with a graceful smile. Allen nodded, permitting the man.

"Have you any requests, Tyki?" the Brit asked, stretching his fingers expertly.

"No, I would just like to hear what you wish to play, Allen." Tyki said smoothly, smiling flatteringly down at Allen.

Still remembering Kanda's words, Allen began playing one of the happier compositions in his repertoire, smiling as he did. While he was playing, he looked over towards Komui's office to see Kanda and Lavi standing near each other. Kanda was glaring in Allen's direction -not at Allen himself, the Brit could tell- and Lavi was grinning teasingly. Lavi said something that seemed to irritate Kanda, who snapped something back and then punched Lavi in the side of the head. Kanda stalked off down the hallway out of Allen's line of sight, presumably towards the studio.

Kanda seemed to spend a lot of time there, though Allen had no idea why. It probably had something to do with being a security guard.

As Allen was playing, he was reminded that Komui had called Kanda about a job of some sort. Kanda hadn't specified about the job and had looked like he would have cussed Allen out had the Brit asked.

After Allen finished the piece, Tyki applauded with a polite softness, mixed with some delight.

"You play wonderfully, Allen Walker. I am indeed quite honored! If I could hire you to play in my home, it would be the completion of my life." Tyki said, a slight accent slipping through his gentlemanly tones.

"Ahh? You're Portuguese?" Allen asked, turning to face the tall man.

"Yes, I am, Allen. I'm intrigued that you could tell. How ever did you know?" Tyki asked, leaning slightly against the piano. Allen watched the way the expensive fabric of his suit flowed with his movements with slight envy. If he could afford a suit that nice-!

"I was raised in various countries by my adoptive family, so therefore, I know a great many accents and languages. I cannot speak as many as I can understand, but it's close." Allen admitted, brushing white hair off the nape of his neck. The way Tyki watched him made Allen want to blush. The Portuguese man was giving him looks like a starving man who had just caught sight of a bountiful feast. It was a little unnerving, but also somewhat flattering. Now, if _Kanda_ looked at him like that...

The Brit felt his heart skip a beat at the thought. He coughed into his fist to hide any sign of excessive emotion and pushed his bench away from the piano.

"Well, I have seem to have become rather thirsty. Would you like to accompany me to the cafe, Tyki, for a bit of tea?" Allen asked as he stood up. Tyki smiled widely, as if he had been waiting his whole life for Allen to ask that question and bowed to Allen.

"After you, my dear Allen."

Allen blushed, but did well to hide it as he hurried -with dignified grace- past Tyki and towards the cafe.

My _dear_??

* * *

Tyki and Allen sat at a table off to the side of the cafe, talking about countries that they had visited, art and architecture of Europe and Asia, among many other things, drinking tea as they spoke. After some time had passed -Allen wasn't sure exactly how long because Tyki's passionate eyes and mesmerizing smile were quite distracting- Lenalee finally came over, hands on her hips.

"Allen Walker, you have abandoned your post at the piano. You really should get back over there. Excuse me, Mr. Mikk, but Allen does have work to do." the Chinese girl said politely, though Allen could hear the underlying threat aimed at himself. The Portuguese man looked at the watch on his wrist, checking the time as Allen stood up hurriedly, so as not to incur Lenalee's wrath.

"Ahh! I had no clue of the time! I really must be going, Allen my dear. I definitely enjoyed talking to you and I hope that we can spend time together again soon. Farewell, Allen. Until next time." Tyki said, bowing deeply to Allen, smiling that mesmerizing smile and flashing Allen a look that -had it come from Kanda- would have the Brit gasping for air and trying to restart his poor heart.

The tall man walked away, his air of confidence following along behind him like a faithful puppy. Allen watched him go, a slight blush on his cheeks.

"Al-len." Lenalee said softly, with a nice deal of venom in her tone. Allen flinched and whirled to face the Chinese girl, grey eyes begging forgiveness.

"Miss Lee, I am so sorry! I just got tired and decided to take a break and I was talking to Tyki and we had such a long discussion that I forgot the time-!" Allen explained, the words falling out in a rush of breath. Lenalee gave him a sharp look, silencing him.

"That is not what I am concerned about, Al-len."

Allen bowed his head a little in slight fear.

"Why are you getting all flushed over this Tyki guy for, when you have Kanda??" she demanded, stomping her foot with emphasis.

"Wh-what?" the Brit asked in surprise.

"You have Kanda, and you like him! Kanda has you and he likes you, too! So why are you all over that guy??" Lenalee demanded, looking angry and slightly perturbed.

"All...Over?"

"He was hitting on you and looking at you like a piece of meat! And you let him!"

"So you mean he was hitting on me....Not me being all over him, right?" Allen asked, trying to clarify the situation. He was rather confused, truthfully. Yeah, Tyki had been looking at him like a "piece of meat", but that kind of flirtation was a compliment. Right?

"Still, Allen! Why didn't you to tell him to buzz off??"

"Because he is a prospective buyer. Komui would kill me if I ran off a costumer. Especially one as impressive and rich as Tyki Mikk." Allen explained. He probably looked as confused as he felt. Lenalee was silent for a while, thinking obviously.

"Still, if he hits on you, go find Kanda. He can probably help you out." she said, a confident look in her dark eyes. Allen arched an eyebrow.

"If he doesn't try to kill me in the process.." he muttered darkly.

"Oh stop complaining, Allen. Go back to playing the piano, okay? I'll deal with your tea cup and Mr. Mikk's..."

"Okay...."

* * *

After work, Lenalee insisted that Allen go ahead and leave, since she was going to close up the gallery herself. Allen would have argued, but Lenalee still looked a little irritated towards him and didn't seem like she would take no for an answer. Allen couldn't find Kanda either, much to his surprise, so, after gathering his things, he left the _Hidden Artist_ for his apartment.

It was already dark out, and had been for several hours. The city streets were lit by yellow-tinted lamps, giving the world an odd appearance. Allen walked slowly, enjoying the night air that was blowing in from the north, bringing along a scent of pine trees. There weren't very many cars or pedestrians at that time of night, so Allen could allow his thoughts to wander.

And that they did. Kanda was at the forefront of his mind, as was normal for the Brit. Or if it wasn't already, it was swiftly becoming the norm.

He wondered where Kanda had gone after work. He supposed that he shouldn't concern himself so much with Kanda's where abouts, since the man was the epitome of independent. He shouldn't always think that Kanda would be there.

Allen winced at that idea. He certainly wished that Kanda would always be there and that he himself could always be there for the Japanese man.

But, it wasn't as though Kanda and Allen were actually in a commited relationship. If they were, well, it was news to him. Truthfully, he had no idea _what_ he and Kanda were to each other. He knew that he really cared about Kanda, and that the man was drop-dead gorgeous and a sex god hell-bent on Allen's slow torture. However, what was _he_ to Kanda? Something he definitely wanted to know the answer to.

Caught in his thoughts, Allen failed to hear the roar of an approaching engine. Said engine revved loudly and the car accelerated towards the Brit as he was crossing the street. The car's speed increased greatly as it hurtled down the street at him.

At the last minute, Allen turned, hearing the engine, to see the bright lights of a speeding car heading right to him. His body froze, heart stopping for a moment in time.

The last thought that came to his mind was one word inexpressibly filled with longing and regret:

_Kanda!_


	22. Side Note: Pairing Poll

The Hidden Artist

Side Note: Pairing Poll

* * *

Dear Readers,

For those of you dear readers who have been paying attention (and I hope you all have been), I have been setting up a side pairing (or two) that will make itself apparent...sometime soon. So, I was wondering which pairing is the most popular and which would make it's appearance.

With that in mind, I made a Pairing Poll for The Hidden Artist that you can all participate in.

The pairings up for vote are as follows:

Tyki/Lavi,

Lavi/Lenalee,

Daisya/Lenalee,

Or, god forbid;

Tyki/Daisya.

So, somewhere on my...profile-story-thing, there is a poll waiting for your opinions. I don't know a whole lot about polls, so I don't know if you can or can't vote twice, but please don't. Let's make this as honest as humanly possible. (No rigged elections here.)

The poll will be open until two weeks from today, Wednesday, October 4th, 2009.

Please participate and put forth your valued opinion.

Much love and hope,

-Maze Puppet

P.S. The next chapter will be up same time as usual, next Monday. I expect it will be finished sooner, but I only have internet access Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

* * *


	23. Part Eighteen: Under the Facade

The Hidden Artist

Part Eighteen: Under The Facade

* * *

Kanda woke up to a disappointingly empty bed. Well, other than himself, that was.

_Disappointing?_ he questioned. After a moments thought he nodded.

_Yeah, disappointing._

It lacked a certain warmth, making the Japanese man scowl. Sure, he had slept fine -Kanda could always sleep like the dead when he put his mind to it and it didn't matter where he was, either- and he was comfortable, but the feeling of emptiness in his bed and in his arms threw all that wonderful sleep sensation out the window.

_That is going to be remedied. Screw whatever the kid says or thinks._

Tossing his dark sheets off with the dismissal of week old trash -he couldn't stand the thought of remaining in that bed any longer-, Kanda headed to his shower, long black hair waving freely behind him. A quick shower might make him feel better.

As Kanda stepped into the bathroom, he glanced briefly up at the clock on the wall. The short hand rested on the two like it had nothing better to do, the long hand sitting just before the eight.

Kanda's already sour mood took a nose dive. Into a concrete slab. With large metal spikes sticking up from it.

"Fucking three o'clock in the goddamn morning, are you _fucking_ kidding me?" the Japanese man muttered angrily, slamming the bathroom door.

_Okay, fuck the shower. That can wait._

Once done with his business, Kanda glanced at the mirror -a dark-headed, pale-skinned, pissed off Japanese man glared at him, dark eyes sparkling dangerously- before heading out of the bathroom. He didn't really feel like going back to sleep, so he went into his living room. A bookshelf near the front door looked rather invitingly at him, so Kanda wandered over to look at it's contents.

He had Japanese books -ordered for him straight from Japan by his crazy adoptive father-, German books -again, ordered or bought, depending on the situation-, English, French, Italian....Well, he had a lot of books. It was a big bookshelf, and Kanda did enjoy reading from time to time. He knew a lot of different languages, since he had lived in several different countries and Tiedoll refused to allow any of his 'sons' to not know the language of the country that they lived in. Plus, Tiedoll made sure that his 'sons' were very well educated.

Kanda went through the titles, trying to find something that he hadn't read in a while. After a few minutes, he finally settled on Japanese mythology stories. He wasn't sure how to describe them, but it was something like Aesop's Fables for the Western countries. He was far from actually believing any of the stories -he was no child- but the morals taught and the simplicity of them were relaxing to his Japanese mind. It was like meditation and soul-searching. It made everything in life just look so much simpler and he could actually relax. He rather enjoyed them sometimes.

Before he even finished the first line of kanji, the man found himself distracted. He glanced up at the wall before him. It was the wall that seperated his and Allen's apartments.

Was the kid alseep? When had he come home from work?

….Did he have a hard time sleeping when he wasn't with Kanda, as Kanda seemed to have a hard time sleeping without the kid?

The Japanese man shook his head, ridding himself of the thoughts, and looked back at the first line and read it again:

"Many a year ago, an old man who lived in the wilderness..."

_Old man....Allen's white, old man-like hair. How in the hell did his hair turn that color in the first place? Was it dyed? What color was it before?_

Kanda sighed softly, almost inaudible even to himself. He could remember the feeling of that hair under his fingers, twisting it and twirling it around his fingers as he had held the kid close just that morning, before the kid had woken up and ruined the moment. Before Cross had come along and ruined the whole morning.

_Did the kid get home alright? I had had to leave with that damned European freak...so I couldn't give him a ride home...._

Oh goddamn it. Just what the fuck was he thinking? The kid was fully fucking capable of getting home just fine.

But still....

Tyki had insisted that he and Kanda go to dinner -what kind of bull shit was that??- and so had insisted to Komui that Kanda get the rest of the night off. Komui had been unnecessarily eager and had practically shoved Kanda into Tyki Mikk's grasp and pushed to two out the door. Kanda had wanted to let the kid know -somehow at least- that he couldn't drive him home, but hadn't said anything aloud.

Before he knew it, he was in Mikk's rental car -some American model that Kanda had dubbed a piece of shit even just looking at it- and they were headed to the nearest expensive restaurant. Kanda remembered complaining -with dignity- that just because it was expensive didn't mean that it's quality of food was any good.

With that comment, Mikk had perked up, looking unnecessarily interested.

"Oh, then, please, Mr. Kanda, feel free to suggest something to me." Mikk had said, sounding enthusiastic. Kanda had just felt sickened. He really did not like the man. Of course, there were very few people that he actually liked.

Regardless, rather than trying some shitty food, Kanda suggested a very nice sushi restaurant on the other end of town -even he was surprised that there was a sushi restaurant in the city, but he didn't complain- and Mikk had happily complied.

* * *

The creepy bastard had decided that he wanted to ask Kanda questions. Lots of them.

Like:

"How long have you been an arist, Mr. Kanda?"

"Where did you learn your method?"

"What is your technique?"

"Who was your teacher? Or are you self-taught?"

"What is the average amount for your work?"

"What is the lowest pay you have ever got from a piece? And the highest?"

Kanda twitched in remembrance. The man was annoying with his questions. After giving as cryptic answers as Kanda could, Mikk had moved on to question him about the rest of the people at the _Hidden Artist_.

"Is Miss Lee related to Mr. Komui?"

"That Lavi looks like a bundle of fun, doesn't he, Mr. Kanda? Are you friends?"

"Miss Miranda is quite the timid type, but does she do her job well enough?"

There were various other questions, but then he moved on to the kid. And there were many more questions about the kid than anything else. Not to mention that the man talked about the Moyashi a lot more than was necessary for someone who had known the kid for a few short hours.

"How long have you known Mr. Walker?"

"Mr. Walker's piano playing is very interesting. Do you know how long he has playing?"

"How long has Mr. Walker lived here in Canada?"

"How old is he?"

"Where did he live before he moved here?"

"Does he have any relatives?"

"Does he live on his own?"

"Do you know where he lives?"

And many, many other irritating questions. Kanda was vastly disturbed by Mikk's fascination with the Moyashi. That previous twinge of jealousy had grown into a full-blown raging fire of rabid jealousy. He hated hearing Mikk say the kid's name.

Kanda shook his head, forcing that line of thought out of his mind. Those kinds of thoughts were no good for his mind. He shut the book in his hands and relaxed, realizing that he wasn't likely to get anywhere with the book. He glanced at the front door -a small part of him wishing that the Moyashi was there at the moment- and then titled his head back, looking up at the ceiling. He had to be careful of his hair, so that it would not be pulled unnecessarily.

The dinner with Mikk had ended quietly. Kanda had stopped talking and just glared heatedly at anything and everything, silently warning Mikk to shut up. Mikk had merely smiled at Kanda, a certain look in his eye making Kanda think that the man was making up excuses in his head: "It must be an artist thing; the foul attitude." That he could hear the man's accent in his head was not the only thing that irritated him about that. The fact that Kanda was doing something as paranoid as that was vastly annoying as well.

Mikk had offered to drive Kanda back to the Hidden Artist, but Kanda had refused. He had had quite enough of the man and did not desire to be in his presence any longer. So, Kanda had left the restaurant -giving Mikk a glare for refusing to allow Kanda to pay for his own food- and had walked back to the Hidden Artist to pick up his car and drive home. He had hoped -only in the subconscious part of his mind- that the kid would still be there, so that Kanda could take him home, but there was no such luck. Lenalee -who had just finished closing up- had told him that the Moyashi had left to walk home nearly an hour before.

With that, he had headed back to his apartment. After that, Kanda really didn't remember much. He had fuzzy memories about going to his bathroom, changing into comfortable clothes to sleep in, and then the darkness after turning the light out to go to sleep.

A slight sound outside Kanda's apartment alerted the Japanese man to someone walking out in the hall. Kanda's dark eyes flashed over to the door, his body suddenly tense. For a while, it was silent, but then something crashed into the wall next to his door. Kanda jumped up from the couch, staring intently at the door. He took three quick steps over to the door and unlocked it to pull it open sharply.

The person outside the door flinched away, gasping.

"K-Kanda??" a quiet, British accent asked.

"Moyashi. What are you doing out so damned late?" Kanda demanded, scowling. The Brit flinched again.

"I....Uhh..." the kid said lamely. He sounded exhausted and his voice was a little strained. Kanda's sharp eyes took in the Moyashi's appearance. His usually pristine clothes were tussled and slightly dirty. Half of his body was turned away from Kanda, hiding the rest of his body from Kanda's critical eyes, but the Japanese was already annoyed.

"What the hell happened to you?!" he demanded, his thin eyebrows drawing closer together.

"Huh? Oh...You noticed."

What the hell kind of reaction was that?!! Kanda stepped forward and grabbed the Moyashi. He immediately noticed the gasp of pain and the grimace. Ignoring it, he turned the kid so that he fully faced Kanda. With slight shock, he observed the kid's left side.

His upped body looked okay, but the leg of his pants was torn and Kanda could clearly see blood showing from beneath the black cloth.

"What the fuck happened to you, Moyashi!" Kanda snapped. The Brit avoided Kanda's intense glare by staring at Kanda's arm, or past it to the floor. He mumbled something that Kanda didn't quite catch, but could have sworn sounded suspiciously like something about a car and the sidewalk. The Japanese man pulled the younger man into his apartment, ignoring whatever argument or exclamation came from him.

Kanda pushed the Moyashi onto the couch; not entirely gently, either.

"Stay here or I will kick your ass," Kanda said as he left the living room to head to his bathroom. He knew he had a first aid kit, as it was habit for him to always have one nearby. One could never tell what kind of injuries may occur on a regular, day-to-day basis.

He came back with his arms nearly full of medical supplies and dumped them onto the table in the kitchen.

"Get your ass over here, Moyashi."

The kid didn't say anything as he left the couch and walked over to the table where Kanda was sorting through various items. He put bandages and antiseptic off to the side and then turned to face Allen.

"Strip." he commanded. The Brit stared, blinking uncomprehendingly.

"Uhh...What?"

"Are you fucking deaf? I said to strip, goddamnit. Do I have to fucking do it for you!" Kanda hissed. Did the kid hit his head or something?? The kid nodded distractedly and began unbuttoning his shirt. Once that was done, he pulled it off of his shoulders and let it drift to the floor.

"Jesus, Moyashi. Did you try to tackle a damned wall?" Kanda asked under his breath. He was sure the kid heard him, but didn't say anything.

There were various bruises of several different colors and shades all over the kid's chest and arm. His left arm looked swollen in addition to the bruising. Kanda took hold of the Moyashi's arm and began gently poking at the skin, testing the muscles and bones.

"Tell me what hurts, Moyashi. Do you think you broke anything?" the Japanese man asked, pressing his fingers into the injured flesh.

"I don't think anything broke. Nothing hurts like a broken bone. The muscles hurt, though. Ow!" the kid exclaimed, trying to jerk his arm away. He didn't succeed in breaking the grip that Kanda had on his arm, but didn't look like he was really trying anyway.

"Whiny bitch. You aren't going to die." Kanda sniffed. The kid had the presence of mind to look insulted, so Kanda felt he had no reason to concern himself with the kid going into shock or anything.

There were no scratches on his arm, so there really wasn't much that Kanda could do about the bruising, except maybe make the kid keep his arm in a sling or something to allow the muscles to repair. He wasn't sure if he had anything like a sling in his apartment, but he knew that Tiedoll kept all kinds of medical crap in his house, so maybe Kanda could run over there in the morning with the kid.

His upper body, however, looked like there might be a broken -or at the very least- cracked rib. Kanda instructed the kid to keep his arm out straight for as long as he could and then reached in to investigate the heavily bruised ribs.

"Tell me what hurts," Kanda commanded again, prodding at the ribs as he spoke.

"Ahh! Bloody hell, couldn't you be any gentler, BaKanda?! That really stings!" the kid hissed between gritted teeth. Kanda ignored the Moyashi's protests and continued his search. One of the ribs moved under his fingers in an unnatural way, but it wasn't shifting around dangerously.

"Ah-! Son of a bitch!!" the Moyashi cursed clenching his fists.

"Fractured." Kanda stated, arching an eyebrow. He grabbed some of the thicker bandages and opened the package.

"Is that bad?"

"What the hell does it sound like, Moyashi?"

"My name is Allen, damn you."

"Stand up, hold your arms up out of the way, and shut up."

The kid sighed sharply, but obeyed. Kanda began wrapping the bandages around the kid's abdomen, making sure to keep enough pressure so that the fractured rib wouldn't shift around, but not enough to force it to either crack more or push inwards into the kid's organs. It was one of the lower ribs, so there was no real risk of serious damage, but it would be hard to heal if it broke any further and even harder to set in order for it to actually begin healing right.

The kid fussed and cursed, but dealt with the pain fairly well. He didn't move unnecessarily or try to interrupt Kanda's work, so he had to give the kid some credit.

"How is your leg?" Kanda asked once done with the kid's abdomen. The kid looked uncertain.

"_Well_?" the older man snapped.

"It was bleeding...I think." came the ambiguous answer.

"No shit. Sit down, Moyashi. And you'd better not have an affinity for those pants."

"Why is that?" the kid asked innocently as he sat down on the chair. Kanda reached down and tore off the pant leg from the knee down.

"Oh. That's why." the kid said, sounding a little bewildered. Kanda smirked and grabbed some things from the table before kneeling in front of the kid. He could feel the kid's eyes on him, which made Kanda smirk again. Those were heated, passionate eyes, in spite of the situation.

Which reminded Kanda:

"How the fuck did this happen, Moyashi. And don't bullshit me or I will make this a lot more painful." Kanda threatened. The kid didn't so much as flinch as he began speaking.

"I was walking home from the gallery a while after you left. Lenalee told me to get going, since it was so late. She said that she could close up on her own. I wasn't sure where you went -which, I am curious about that, if you would care to enlighten me- so I left on my own. It wasn't that far from the gallery here, so I wasn't really worried."

"On my way here, I was crossing the road to get to the other sidewalk. I was a little distracted by my thoughts, so I didn't hear any cars coming. There weren't any cars on the road, or even people on the street at that time, so I wasn't really concerned. But...There was one car. And...I don't know if they saw me or anything. They were just going so fast..."

"I jumped out of the way to avoid a full-on hit, but they still got most of my left side. I think I may have blacked out or something, because the next thing I remember after jumping out of the way was sitting on the side of the road, staring at the pavement. I started walking towards the hospital, but I really didn't think that the injuries were that bad, so I changed my mind and came back here."

"By the way, what time is it?" the kid asked, looking around the walls for a clock. Kanda blinked, snapping out of his thoughts and replied.

"It's a little past three o'clock."

"In the morning?!" the Moyashi demanded, jumping a little. Kanda poked him harshly in the leg, right on a bruise, and glared up at him.

"Don't fucking move around so much. Yeah, in the morning, baka Moyashi. Jesus, get a fucking brain."

"Bu-But, that would mean it took me hours to get back here!"

"With the way your brain works, stupid ass, I'm not surprised. It's amazing that you even got back here at all. Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" Kanda asked, sniffing derisively. The kid looked insulted again.

"I most certainly did _not_ hit my head, BaKanda." he said indignantly. Kanda smirked at him and finished bandaging his leg.

"There, stupid ass. Now don't play in the street anymore." Kanda could feel the kid bristle under his touch and take a deep breath to lash out at the older man.

"Shut up, Moyashi." Kanda sniffed. He glared up at the kid, stealing away his bluster. A weird emotion crossed the kid's face.

"You....were worried?" the kid questioned. Kanda felt a little insulted and glared harder.

"Kanda...." Allen whispered. Kanda felt something in his chest clench. His glare intensified, his dark eyes narrowing. Allen ran the fingers of his right hand down the side of Kanda's face with a soft, gentle motion.

Kanda stood up, towering over the younger man, and leaned down slowly. Allen rose up to meet him, their lips touching ever-so gently.

* * *


	24. Part Nineteen: What's Important

The Hidden Artist

Part Nineteen: What's Important

* * *

"I wasn't fucking worried, Moyashi." Kanda sniffed. Allen laughed a little under his breath.

"Of course not, Kanda." he replied.

They were silent for a few minutes until Kanda sat down in the chair next to Allen and glared, yet again.

"Why the hell didn't you report this to the police, Moyashi." the Japanese man demanded. Allen looked up at him, gray eyes tracing a line along Kanda's jaw, his lips, up to his narrowed eyes and long, loose hair. Damn, was he beautiful! Even when he was glaring and threatening.

"Remember, Kanda, I blacked out. And when I woke up, the car was gone. There isn't anything to report. I don't know the license plate number and the only thing I saw of the car were the headlights. So if I just go to the police and say that I got hit by a car, but I didn't see anything of the car or the person driving the car, then it wold be pointless. I barely even remember what street I was on when I got hit." Allen said, shrugging. He winced at the pressure put on his ribs, but didn't complain.

Kanda sighed harshly, his thin, dark eyebrows pulling together in a scowl.

"Whatever."

The Brit sighed, the gust of air suddenly causing him to yawn tiredly and loudly. Kanda arched an eyebrow as he looked over. He sighed -though Allen could swear he heard a exasperated "che" behind it- and stood up.

"Come on, Moyashi. Get your ass up so you can get out of my kitchen and so I can sleep." the Japanese man commanded, standing before Allen. The younger man finished his yawn, unhurt arm lifted up so that he could cover his mouth politely, and looked up at Kanda.

"Oh...Sorry, it is rather late, isn't it. I'll be out of your way then..." Allen said, feeling a little disappointed. It must have reflected in his voice or something, because Kanda caught his right arm and stopped Allen on his way out of the kitchen, headed to the front door.

"Just where the hell do you think you're going, Moyashi?" Kanda asked, narrowing his eyes. Allen stared, slightly surprised.

"W-What do you mean? I'm leaving your apartment to go to my own. It is right next door you know." the Brit said sarcastically, looking at Kanda as if the older man were a little slow.

"Che...For all I know you'll get hurt on your way out the door. I told you once before. If you die, then I am stuck with that obnoxious, baka Usagi. I really do not want to deal with his stupidity." Kanda explained, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Allen blinked, his arm tingling where Kanda still had hold of him. He shivered slightly, unable to control himself.

Sometimes...Allen just completely forgot where he was in the face of Kanda's blunt, arrogant, beautiful, frustrating, heart-breaking, captivating personality. He would just look up into Kanda's eyes and lose himself in the depths of those dark eyes. Time lost all meaning next to those eyes. Any thought that may have been in his mind was cast aside...

This was one of those times. Allen forgot how to breathe, staring up at Kanda like a love-struck child. The Japanese man was caught off-guard and just stared back at Allen. After a minute, Kanda looked away sharply, mumbling "Idiot" under his breath.

Allen smiled faintly in response, but he was still quite aware of Kanda's hand on his arm.

"Hurry your ass up," Kanda sniffed, dropping his hold on Allen's arm and moving off to the only bedroom of the apartment. Allen followed along faithfully, more out of curiosity than anything, saying nothing. As he entered the room a few seconds after Kanda, he heard Kanda shuffling through his closet, clearly looking for something.

For the first time, Allen noticed what Kanda was wearing. It was a long, black kimono, very loosely tied about the waist. His hair wasn't tied up as it usually was, allowed to flow and shift about Kanda's lean body.

The British man felt his mouth go dry and swallowed with some difficulty. The kimono clung to Kanda's body, revealing long lines of lean muscle that rippled ever-so slightly with every movement. His chest was bared, showing a generous amount of that pale skin. Kanda bent at the waist just a little, pulling the kimono tight in some areas and loose in others. Allen felt his body sway with dizziness as he took in everything before him.

Allen's hand flew to his mouth, covering the fact that he was chewing vehemently on his bottom lip.

"Bloody hell..." he hissed under his breath. Kanda straightened, but the kimono seemed to want to disobey and pulled down at Kanda's back, revealing the pale skin of the Japanese man's lower neck. His long hair had swung out in front, resting over the man's shoulder to travel down his front.

Kanda turned back suddenly to face Allen, not noticing the younger male's stricken expression.

"Strip." he commanded for the second time that night. Allen's hand -the one that had been covering his mouth, his uninjured right- shot out to catch his balance on the wall, to steady himself. Kanda looked a little confused until he seemed to notice the look in Allen's eyes.

Allen's throat worked, trying to swallow again as he looked away. He suddenly noticed something flying at his face and caught it with some difficulty, almost dropping it to the floor.

"Go get changed," Kanda sniffed, correcting himself. Allen nodded numbly and moved off to the bathroom.

"S-sure." the Brit mumbled.

When he closed the door to the bathroom, he finally looked at the thing that Kanda had thrown at him. It wasn't a kimono, like what Allen had been expecting...But instead just a large, button-up shirt. One that looked like it wouldn't even fit Kanda. It was just that long and..._wide_.

Allen eyed the shirt skeptically. Where had Kanda found such a shirt? Surely...he had never worn it?

Allen scowled and found himself hoping that Kanda _had _worn the shirt before.

As Allen began taking his own shirt off, he realized something. Just why hadn't he questioned Kanda when he had told Allen to strip? _Why_ had Kanda wanted him to change? Looking at his own clothes, Allen realized why.

His once-pristine shirt was stained and dirty, ripped and missing a button or two. His pants were torn at the knee on the left side -because of Kanda's medical _expertise_- and were dirty as well. Sighing -he had rather liked the outfit-, Allen finished taking off his clothes and exchanged them for the large shirt.

Another piece of clothing fell to the floor at Allen's feet, revealing a pair of black Chinese-style pants. They looked like they would fit just right, so the Brit put them on. He glanced in the mirror and arched an eyebrow. The shirt looked kind of like it was trying to swallow him up, but the pants fit nicely and comfortably. Allen gathered up his discarded shirt and pants and bundled them up in his arms. The British man looked at his left arm, bruising aside, and was relieved to see that the shirt covered up his huge scar.

The scar that he had had for years. The scar that was a daily reminder of his father, Mana. The scar that held a story of his past, a past better left forgotten. Although....Allen could never truly forget the incident.

_Allen! Move, my son!!_

_Mana, no!_

_**Allen**!!_

The British man winced at the echoing voice in his mind and shook himself, ridding himself of such thoughts.

"Moyashi! Hurry your ass up! I'm not waiting all day!" Kanda threatened from the other side of the door, making Allen jump a good few inches into the air. The white-haired pianist cursed vehemently under his breath, though he wasn't sure that all of them were in English, and opened the door.

"Relax, Kanda. It's not like a few minutes would kill you." Allen sniffed, laughing a little, both to tease Kanda and to hide the sudden tension in his body. Kanda yelling like that through the door had shocked him, but that wasn't the only cause for the Brit's discomfort.

"Che. Yeah, but _I _might kill _you_ if you take too much longer." Kanda huffed, glaring at Allen.

"I'm out, aren't I?"

"Only because I had to yell at your stupid ass."

"Yeah, whatever, BaKanda."

Kanda took a few threatening steps towards Allen and ripped the clothes out his Allen's arms, alarming the younger -and much smaller- man more than just a little. He was ready to throw his hands up in defense when Kanda pulled Allen to him, capturing him in a demanding, forceful kiss. Allen froze in Kanda's arms, his body tensing yet again. But under the Japanese male's heated passion, Allen had no choice but to melt, pressing back against the older man.

After a few minutes of Kanda's relentless attack, Allen felt the older man slowly release him. The Brit opened his eyes to discover that he was on his back, on the bed, several feet away from where Kanda had first...."attacked", long dark strands of hair tickling his face and exposed neck. Kanda stared down at Allen, dark eyes almost shining in the half-light given off from the bathroom. Those eyes made Allen's heart pound excitedly.

"That shirt looks ridiculous." Kanda sniffed, eyeing the offending shirt with disdain. Allen sighed in exasperation.

"Well, don't look at me like it's my fault, Kanda. _You_ gave it to me to wear."

"Take it off."

Allen sighed. He could swear that Kanda was intent of relieving him of all clothing. The Brit froze, his heart stuttering.

Not that that would really be a problem for me.

He flushed a bright red -he was sure it rivaled a tomato- and looked away, his eyes closed. When he heard Kanda chuckled -a deep sound that reverberated in his chest- he opened one eye to take a peek. Kanda looked very amused at him for some reason.

"Well, Moyashi. Take it off." Kanda reiterated and Allen was sure he was trying to sound serious, but that note of amusement was still there. And for some reason, an amused Kanda was hard to take serious. It was just too...odd. Allen looked back up, a challenge in his eyes.

"Take what off, BaKanda?"

They both stopped, just watching each other. Kanda's eye twitched.

"That damned shirt, Moyashi." the older man sniffed.

"What about it?" Allen shot off, without hesitation. This was something that he and Cross had done hundreds of time -Allen usually the victim- so there was no way that he would let this go. He would enjoy the hell out of it, too.

"Take it off, _Moyashi_."

"Take what off?" Allen asked slowly, a deliberate grin forming on his lips. Kanda twitched again, probably realizing what the Brit was doing. He lowered his head, likely trying to look menacing, but all Allen got out of that was a dark, smoldering look in Kanda's eyes. That long dark hair shifted again, silky strands brushing against Allen's skin.

"Don't fuck with me, _Moyashi_."

"I didn't do a thing..." Allen said, blinking innocently. Kanda narrowed his eyes. He was still positioned over Allen, half of his long body covering the shorter man's torso, so he did have a bit of an advantage, not that the Brit would allow him to realize that.

"Take your damn shirt off, Moyashi." Kanda snapped. That amused tone had disappeared a few minutes ago, but Allen was sure that Kanda was still, somewhere deep in his complicated mind, amused. His eyes were shining with the challenge presented before him -or under him, as the case was- but he didn't really look angry or frustrated. Yet.

Allen grinned helplessly. Kanda didn't appear to be very good with word games.

"It's not _my_ shirt, so I can't take it off as you command, Kanda." Kanda glared, probably thinking of someway to defeat Allen. Allen just waited, grinning up at his friend.

Friend? That thought shook Allen a little. Was that all he was?

Allen pushed the thought away. It wasn't important right now. What was important was the suddenly mischievous look in Kanda's eye. The older man dove down to Allen's neck and latched onto the skin with his sharp teeth, catching Allen by surprise. Allen gasped and arched his spine a little at the sudden sensation. All he could see was the shiny, black hair at the top of Kanda's head. It really made him want to play with that hair and pull it....just to see Kanda's reaction.

"Kanda??" the pianist questioned, a little breathlessly. He could feel Kanda's chest against his and was sure that Kanda could feel his pounding heart. The Japanese man shifted a little, probably to get a little more comfortable -he had been leaning over Allen for many minutes now, on just his hands and knees. The pressure on Allen's neck lessened as Kanda's tongue pressed forward, licking the skin. He drew a line up the column of Allen's neck to his jaw before going back down to the abused skin to lick it again. The Brit could hear as Kanda drew back and attacked at the base of his neck, utilizing his teeth and tongue again.

Okay. Kanda may not be good at word games, but he made up for it by using his body, or tongue and teeth, to be precise.

As the Japanese man's teeth latched on again, this time a little harder, Allen groaned and felt his back muscles stiffen and arch up, pressing him closer to Kanda. He could swear that he heard Kanda growl at his neck in response. The sound was enough to drive Allen crazy; all deep, rumblings in Kanda's chest, which in turn rumbled away in Allen's chest.

Kanda released his hold with his teeth again only to suck lightly on that same patch of skin. Ahh, well, one of three abused patches of skin. As Kanda moved again, Allen decided that it would be pointless to count. If the first night that he had been with Kanda was any indication, the Japanese man would leave innumerable marks all over.

"Are you going to take it off, Moyashi?" Kanda asked against his mouth. Allen blinked. When had Kanda moved??

"Take...what...off?" Allen asked in return, albeit a bit breathlessly. Kanda snorted in disgust.

"Stupid Moyashi..." the older man sniffed condescendingly. That note of amusement was back in full force, making Allen grin. That grin disappeared as Kanda's hands disappeared up Allen's borrowed shirt. Long, cool fingers traveled up Allen's stomach, making the muscles twitch there, and further up his chest, pulling the shirt up as they went. Those cool fingers finally reached Allen's shoulders after what felt like forever. Kanda grabbed the shirt's bundled up hem and pulled it up over Allen's head.

When the shirt was completely gone, Kanda threw it to the side, away from the bed. Allen tried to listen for when it landed, but forgot how when the Japanese man on top of him bit down on his chest.

"Agh! Kanda! Not fair!" Allen protested.

"Fair? What's not fair?" Kanda mocked, grinning. His warm breath spread out over Allen's exposed chest. The Brit groaned.

"Everything about you..." he complained, reaching up with one hand to play with Kanda's long hair. He pulled one long strand towards his face, pressing it to his lips, sniffing tentatively. Kanda's dark eyes watched the movement with interest.

"That's too bad, Moyashi."

He bit down again, but this time on Allen's collar bone. Teeth grazed against bone almost painfully, making Allen jerk away -or try to. The bed happened to be in the way, so that was a little hard. All he managed to do was jostle Kanda and the bed a little.

"Ugh....You have a biting fetish or something, Kanda. You should get that fixed." Allen groaned, shifting under Kanda's grasp. His body was becoming restless and twitchy from not moving.

"Are you complaining?" Kanda asked, looking down at Allen as he sat back, his long, muscular legs straddling Allen's thin hips. Allen was silent for a moment, unable to reply. Of course he wouldn't complain. He had Kanda sitting on him, eyes threatening to carry out a torture that would -eventually- leave Allen panting and satisfied. Who could complain about that?

However, there was still that one...thought.

Allen relaxed underneath Kanda and looked straight up at Kanda, pushing aside all the previous games and playing around.

"Kanda...What are we, exactly?" he asked, completely serious. Kanda looked briefly -very briefly- confused before gaining a light of sarcasm in his eyes.

"Human, last I checked, Moyashi. Unless you're sprouting a tail somewhere." the Japanese man sniffed sarcastically, arching an eyebrow and looking up and down Allen's body.

"And I see no tail."

Allen sighed.

"That's not what I meant, BaKanda." he said, reaching up to his head and scratching at his hair with sudden nervousness. He wasn't sure how to say it, truthfully.

"Well it's not like I can read minds, teme Moyashi." Kanda snapped. In Allen's eyes, he sounded nothing more than a pouting child. And, in some ways, he was just that.

"_I mean_, Kanda, what exactly are we to each other?"

Kanda was silent as he seemed to measure Allen's expression and posture. Allen inwardly winced. His current posture probably didn't help. Kanda would likely feel a slight upper hand because he was..well, technically he had Allen pinned beneath him.

Allen dropped his head against the bedsheets and stared helplessly at the ceiling. Kanda wasn't likely to give a straight answer. Or even a real answer at all.

"Baka Moyashi. You're mine. That's all there is to it. Why the hell do you feel the need to over-complicate things like a stupid little school girl?" Kanda demanded, sounding somewhat pissed. He sat up and moved off of Allen to sit next to him, his muscular back facing Allen. Allen didn't move, didn't look at Kanda.

"Then....What are you to me? If I am yours..Kanda, then what are you to me?" Allen asked. It almost seemed like Kanda hadn't heard Allen's soft-spoken question, or he just didn't care to respond, until the Japanese man shifted a little.

"I would hope, Moyashi, that you would be able to figure that one on your own. Do you need someone to do your thinking for you now?" he sniffed.

Allen twitched when he felt a finger touch his leg but didn't move again as other fingers of a rather warm hand joined it. Which was weird in two different ways.

One; Kanda was touching him. Yeah, admittedly, Kanda had touched him before, but this was..different. It was one hand. And he wasn't doing anything else other than touch. There was no demand or passion, just a simple touch. The fingers moved, but didn't move to claim anything. There was no demand.

Two; Kanda's previously cool hand was almost burning through Allen's borrowed pants. Was such a change in body temperature possible in such a short amount of time? Unless Kanda...

Allen shot up, surprising the Japanese man, who turned around sharply.

"Are you okay, Kanda?" the Brit asked, concern creeping into his voice. Kanda blinked at him as if he were stupid.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" he demanded, glaring. Allen ignored him and noticed.....There was a very light dusting of pink across Kanda's cheeks. Allen blinked as well.

Kanda...was blushing??

"Oh!" Allen gasped in surprise. He laughed out loud and then covered his mouth in shock.

He had just laughed at Kanda. In Kanda's face. He was going to die.

Allen turned away and laughed harder, but into his hand.

"What the hell is your problem, Moyashi?" Kanda snapped, sounding vaguely confused and very irritated. Allen, still laughing, turned back and smiled.

"Nothing, nothing, Kanda. I'm just delusional." he said. Really! What was wrong with him?

Worrying about Kanda having a fever....Thinking that that fever was actually a blush that seemed to spread everywhere in his body and heat up his skin....And then laughing at Kanda -in his face- about thinking that Kanda was blushing.

Oh yeah...Delusional.

"It's really late, right? Or...really early... Let's go to sleep, Kanda." Allen offered, still chuckling. He had, for the most part, regained his composure, though.

"Che. Fine." Kanda sniffed, standing up. He left the room, confusing Allen briefly, making him worry that perhaps Kanda had abandoned him to sleep in the big bed by himself, but the click of the apartment's front door lock reassured him. Kanda was just locking the doors.

Allen moved over on the bed and laid down on his side, toes stretching for the end of the bed. It was Kanda's bed, however, so it would be hard to do. It was longer than Kanda was tall, so it didn't really matter how hard Allen tried. It was also wider than Allen's arm-span by about two feet. It was a huge bed.

Staying on his side and resisting the urge to sprawl out on the big, comfortable bed, Allen wondered what he was doing here.

Sure, he knew where he was and what he was doing....But _why_ was he here? He had his own bed, his own apartment....His own clothes. Why had Kanda insisted on taking him in and bandaging him, clothing him, and putting him to bed? It was nice, spending so much time with Kanda, but it didn't make any sense.

Kanda wasn't really the type of person to do something so...caring. And yet it fit right into his personality and daily routine.

Wake up, be a bloody asshole, antagonize Allen, bitch about something, antagonize Allen, pick Allen up from school/work/home, bitch about something, take Allen in to bandage his wounds, bitch about something, antagonize Allen....And be bloody gorgeous throughout the day.

Maybe Kanda was just an arrogant, self-confident, caring, jealous, annoying, frustrating, beautiful, egotistical wanker.

Allen nodded solemnly, his eyes closed.

"That must be it." he mumbled.

"What must be it, Moyashi?" asked a very deep, soft, whispering voice, right in Allen's ear.

"You're an asshole, Kanda. That's what must be it." Allen mumbled, turning around and pulling Kanda's face to kiss him softly on the lips, licking Kanda's bottom lip. The Japanese man just started kissing back -recovering from the surprise rather remarkably- as Allen fell back, falling into a peaceful sleep.

* * *


	25. Side Note 2: Pairing Poll

The Hidden Artist

Side Note 2: Pairing Poll

* * *

_Dear Readers,_

_For those of you dear readers who have been paying attention (and I hope you all have been), I have been setting up a side pairing (or two) that will make itself apparent...sometime soon. So, I was wondering which pairing is the most popular and which would make it's appearance._

_With that in mind, I made a Pairing Poll for The Hidden Artist that you can all participate in._

**ONLY ONE MORE DAY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE POLL!! If you have not already, hurry, hurry, hurry to my profile and vote now!!!!**_  
_

_Please participate and put forth your valued opinion._

_Much love and hope,_

_-Maze Puppet_

* * *


	26. Part Twenty: Masochistic Moyashi

The Hidden Artist

Part Twenty: The Masochistic Moyashi

* * *

Kanda Yuu was currently rather confused.

The damned Moyashi made no sense at the best of time, so what the fuck was he talking about now?

Delusional?

Hell yes. The kid had been like a damned crushing school girl since Kanda had opened his door to discover him, staring at Kanda with big, gray eyes. Lips begging for attention, cheeks flushed...

Damn.

Kanda sat back, staring at the sleeping kid. His lips tingled from the last kiss. It had been so...soft.

And then to ask that one stupid question!

"_I mean, Kanda, what exactly are we to each other?"_

As if he fucking knew. All Kanda cared about was that he had his Moyashi. The rest of the world with all their stupid expectations could fuck off. He couldn't care what anyone else thought of his relationship with his Moyashi.

And if the kid didn't know what Kanda was to him...

Kanda would just have to show him. Either that or hope that the kid got his head out of his ass.

The Japanese man laid down next to his Moyashi and wrapped an arm around the kid's small waist to pull him close. The Brit mumbled something in his sleep and flipped around, pressing himself into Kanda's chest. His pale fists clenched Kanda's kimono, pulling on in and loosening it even more, exposing more of Kanda's chest. He pressed his face closer to Kanda's chest until Kanda could feel his nose -which was actually a little cold- against his skin and the warm breath from his mouth.

The kid's legs were curled a little, so his knees dug into Kanda's thighs, but the Japanese man didn't complain. He rested his head against his Moyashi's and fell into a light sleep.

* * *

A loud ringing awoke him from his blissful and warm sleep.

It was his cell phone. And he knew that ring tone.

"Goddamn, fucking, stupid old man..." Kanda grumbled as he turned to grab his cell phone off of the bedside table. When he answered it, he was careful to keep his voice down. The kid was still asleep in his arms, breathing softly against Kanda's skin.

"What is it, old man?" Kanda demanded, holding the phone to his ear.

"Yuu-kun! How are you this morning? Did you just wake up?"

"Yeah, old man. I just woke up. Keep your damned voice down. It annoys me." Kanda said, eyeing Allen's sleeping face for signs of consciousness. Nothing.

"Ohh? Why is that, Yuu-kun?"

"None of your business. What do you want?"

"I just wanted to tell you that we are leaving Europe later today. We should be home late tonight. Would you mind picking us up at the airport?" Tiedoll asked, his voice actually slightly lower.

"Che. Fine. What time, old man?"

"Six o'clock this afternoon, your time. Our plane gets in at 5:45, so when you get there, we should be ready." Tiedoll said, sounding reasonable for once.

"Fine. Just don't make me wait for too long, old man, or I will leave your asses there."

"Okay, Yuu-kun."

"Don't call me that." Kanda said sharply. He winced a little and looked down at the kid, but he was still asleep.

"Oh...Kanda. I don't think that your car will be big enough to carry all of us, plus our luggage, so you can go to the house and pick up one of the bigger cars there."

"Che. Did you go out and buy something bigger than that ridiculous station wagon, old man?" Kanda asked. He really did not like driving that station wagon. It was stupid and old. And it lacked class like Kanda's car, a '69 Camaro. It was an _American_-made car, but he still liked it.

"Oh yes, I bought a van a few months ago. Ma-kun has been fixing it up for me. I get some work in there at a time, but not much. The keys are in the usual place, in the key holder, but the key chain for it is a red rubber duckie."

"Duckie, old man? Are you going senile?" Kanda growled, somewhat disgusted. The man never ceased to be completely ridiculous.

"Anyway, Yuu-kun, remember! Six o'clock."

"Whatever." Kanda glanced down at his Moyashi and lightly brushed white hair from his face.

Tiedoll started babbling about the conclusions to Daisya's unfortunate meeting of the French girl, but Kanda wasn't paying attention. He traced a soft line down the side of the kid's cheek with his forefinger, but his thumb deviated from the path to rub against the kid's bottom lip. Those lips parted to exhale warm breath across the back of Kanda's hand.

"Mmmm..Kanda?" the kid asked, a bit too loudly for Kanda's liking. Kanda noticed that the talking on the other side of the line had stopped, much to his dismay.

Kanda cursed in his mind. The old man had heard, he was sure of it.

"Yuu-kun? What was that?" Tiedoll asked, confirming Kanda's fear. The kid was slowly opening his eyes to look up at Kanda. He smiled, but Kanda covered his mouth and glared, silencing whatever may have been spoken. His Moyashi's eyes flicked to the phone at Kanda's ear and he nodded in understanding.

"Nothing, old-"

"-Is there someone there with you?" the old man asked, a very sly tone in his voice that Kanda decided that he did not like one bit.

"Mind your own fucking business, old man." Kanda snapped. The kid rolled his eyes, smiling and latched himself to Kanda's chest, resting his forehead against the bare skin.

"Oh don't be shy, Yuu-kun! I didn't know you had a girlfriend!!"

Kanda could hear -and feel- the kid laughing quietly. Apparently he could hear what the old man was saying. The Japanese man felt like punching both of them. Possibly maiming them too.

"I don't have a fucking girlfriend, old man."

"Oh. Boyfriend, then? Really, Yuu-kun! Don't be afraid of what I might think! I raised you to be the way you are! I accept everything that that entails!" Tiedoll insisted, but Kanda could still hear the grin of pride in his voice.

"Touching, you geezer, but I don't give a shit what you think of me." Kanda snapped. He was quickly losing his patience for this current situation. The kid was still laughing, but wasn't trying very hard to hide it.

"I'm hanging up, geezer." the Japanese man growled. Tiedoll chuckled a little.

"Six o'clock, Yuu-kun! Don't forget!"

"I'm not a fucking geezer like you, bastard! And don't call me that name!!" Kanda yelled before snapping the cell phone shut, ending the call. The kid finally stopped laughing and looked up at Kanda.

"Boyfriend?" he asked, a wide grin displayed on his lips.

"Shut up." Kanda snapped as he dropped the kid from his hold and rolled off the bed. He straightened his kimono and walked into the bathroom. The kid mumbled something from the bed, but didn't follow or even get up. Kanda quickly tied his hair up out of the way and then turned back to the bedroom.

"Oi, Moyashi."

"Yes, Kanda?"

"I have to go pick up my old man, Marie and Daisya from the airport later today. You want to get your lazy ass up and come?" Kanda asked, feeling just a little awkward for asking, but hiding it well. The kid rolled over and looked up at Kanda from his back, turning his head to the side to look at him straight.

"That would be enjoyable. How long is the drive?"

"About two hours."

"And what time is it now?"

Kanda glanced back towards the clock on his bathroom wall. It read fifteen minutes before noon.

"11:45."

"In the morning?!"

"No shit."

The kid was silent for a few seconds -it seemed to Kanda that he was thinking about something- before he spoke again, calmly.

"Oh. Well, yes, I would like to go."

"Go take a shower, then, Moyashi." Kanda sniffed, closing the bathroom door. He intended to take a shower as well, but didn't like leaving the Moyashi to just sit in his room for however long it took for him to do so.

He listened through the door as his Moyashi slowly got up off the bed. He heard light, padding footsteps leading around the bed and towards the door.

"It is Saturday, right, Kanda?" the kid asked, just loud enough to be heard through the door.

"Of course."

"Okay."

The kid left Kanda's room quietly, and then Kanda could hear nothing more, except the closing of the front door. He united the obi around his waist and dropped it into his laundry basket, then the kimono followed suit.

* * *

The shower was brief but relaxing, leaving Kanda refreshed and ready to deal with Moyashis, crazy old men, and annoying "brothers".

He finished up in his bathroom and wandered out into his room, in only a black towel. He chose some black jeans from the dresser and slipped them on underneath his towel, then dropped the towel to the bed. Next, he rummaged through his shirts, not really caring what he wore. He came up with a dark blue T-shirt that Daisya had given to him a year ago for his birthday. Scowling at the thought, Kanda almost tossed the shirt back into the drawer, but decided against it.

Now completely dressed, Kanda headed into the kitchen. He riffled through the cupboards, looking at the available food.

Kanda only ate Japanese food, as he had no real interest in any other kind of food from other countries. It wasn't as though he had never tried food from other cultures, he just liked the taste of Japanese food. It reminded him of Japan.

He pulled out the ingredients for tempura -his favorite kind was lotus root, but he didn't have any at the moment, so he settled for something less- and began preparations. He could faintly hear the sound of a shower running next door and smirked. The kid took unnecessarily long showers, it seemed.

Just like a woman.

Kanda grinned in silent mirth -at the Brit's expense- as he set some rice to cook. Rice wasn't his favorite food, but he felt like eating some rice this particular morning.

By the time the shower water next door finally shut off, the food was half-way done. All that was left was to wait for a few more minutes and then it would be ready.

His cell phone rang again, but this time it was not his annoying adoptive father's ring tone this time. Kanda sneered in disgust as he wiped his hands off to answer the phone. After checking the name and number -reaffirming his suspicions-, he flipped open the phone and demanded, "What, Baka Usagi?!"

"Yuu!" Lavi said brightly on the other end of the line.

"Call me that name again and I will skin you alive! What the hell do you want?" Kanda snapped. He whipped his dark hair over his shoulder almost dangerously and threw the towel in his other hand down onto the counter. Hearing that red-head's voice first thing in the day was no blessing.

"Good morning to you too, Yuu-chan!"

"It's not morning." the Japanese man snapped.

"A difference of a few minutes, Yuu, what's the big deal?" Lavi asked innocently.

"What the hell do you want?" Kanda reiterated. Lavi was silent a few moments, testing Kanda's patience.

"Well..." the red-head drawled, dragging out the 'l' of the word annoyingly.

"You see....Since it is Saturday....I was thinking about asking Lenalee on a date....Since none of us have work today..... I was wondering what you thought about it." Lavi admitted with reluctance. Kanda was slightly surprised, but then a slight sense of amusement took over.

"Che. You know Daisya's coming home today, right, Usagi?" the Japanse man asked, grinning cruelly. Lavi was silent again.

"Really?" he asked, trying to hide his interest, as well as the slight wicked tone that sudden sounded in his voice.

Aha. So he did know and was plotting this on purpose.

Clever, stupid rabbit.

"But what do you think, Yuu-chan?" Lavi asked after a moment's thought. Kanda sighed harshly.

"I don't give a shit, Baka Usagi." he snapped. The red-head laughed on the other end.

"That's bullshit and you know it. You are just as protective of Lenalee as Komui is."

"Don't compare me with that jackass!" Kanda growled, sounding rather indignant.

"Fine, fine. Just as long as you are okay with it, Yuu-chan."

"Stop calling me by that name!! And you would know if I disapproved, Baka Usagi!!"

"Really? And how is that?" Lavi asked, sounding truly interested. Kanda felt a vague sense as if he was digging his own grave by telling the stupid Usagi this, but replied anyway.

"You'll know because you will find it hard to live without your heart. If you do something, anything that I don't like, or hurt her in anyway, I will shove my arm down your throat and rip your heart out." he hissed coldly.

Lavi's nervous gulp was almost tangible from Kanda's side of the line.

"O-okay. I would never hurt her, K-K-Kanda."

"That's right, Usagi."

"Ge-ez, Kanda. You can be so scary..." Lavi chuckled, still quite nervously, his voice jumping quite noticeably.

"Is that all you wanted, Baka Usagi??" Kanda demanded impatiently.

"Well, no, not really. You see, since I don't have a license or a car-"

"_No_." The tone that came out in the word almost didn't sound human, but Kanda wasn't surprised by his own reaction. His car would never, ever in a million years be driven by anyone else but himself.

"Hehehe, I should have known. So, uhh, thanks for your input. Bye bye, Yuu-chan." the red-head replied, recovering nicely. Kanda sniffed and snapped the phone shut, ending the call.

"Wow, Kanda. You can be bloody scary sometimes," chuckled the familiar British accent of Allen Walker from the doorway.

"Che. Whatever." the Japanese man sniffed. His Moyashi walked into the kitchen, sniffing the air delicately, looking rather ridiculous as he did.

"It's tempura, Moyashi."

"I know that, BaKanda. I've been to Japan before."

"Really."

"Yeah. About five years ago. I went with my Master on a sort of...vacation. In truth he was just running from his work and his debt collectors in Panama. It was sort of fun. Until we found out that the debt collectors were part of a gang that branched out from Japan, where it originated. Needless to say, we didn't bloody well stay there for very long." the Brit explained, seating himself rather elegantly at the kitchen table. Kanda stared at him quietly for a long moment before turning back to the tempura.

It was finally done, and so Kanda served up two dishes. He dropped one in front of the kid before seating himself across the table. The kid fumbled with the chop sticks briefly, but seemed capable of using them just fine.

Kanda wondered if the kid's ribs were hurting too much, but didn't feel like asking. He contemplated a way to ask without feeling odd, but failed to find one. His solution was found when the kid straightened too fast and bumped his ribs against the side of the table.

He gasped and doubled over, almost dropping his head into the food before him. Kanda flinched, his hand twitching forward as if to reach out to the kid.

"Che. They still hurt?" Kanda asked brusquely. The Brit nodded, his face hidden behind long bangs. Kanda could see that his shoulders were shaking with the pain. He stood up and walked swiftly around the table to kneel before his Moyashi. He pushed the chair back -with the kid in it- and turned it to face him. He pushed the kid's hands out of the way.

"Let me see." he snapped when the Brit moved back as if to cover his stomach. The Brit stopped moving and watched Kanda with pain-sharpened eyes. Kanda's nimble fingers made short work of the buttons on the kid's vest and shirt, exposing the skin below.

Kanda sniffed in disgust. The kid hadn't bothered to re-wrap his abdomen. The skin around the cracked ribs was bruised and colorful, not to mention rather hot under Kanda's investigative fingers. The kid hissed and gasped with each prod.

"Well, retard, you've done a great job," Kanda remarked sarcastically. The kid glared heatedly.

"Your side is swollen and bruised even worse than it was last night. Are you trying to kill yourself?"

The kid looked indignant, but didn't argue, looking frustrated because he knew that Kanda was right.

"Eat your damned food and I will be right back. Don't fucking move an inch." the Japanese man snapped, giving the kid a dark glare before leaving the kitchen to go search out his first-aid kit again.

Goddamn kid. He can't go even a couple of days without getting hurt.

Kanda recalled that the night before he woke up with him, that the stupid Brit had come to his door -not knowing it was Kanda's apartment-, asking for a first-aid kit because he had cut his arm.

Finally locating the first-aid kit in his bathroom -but unable to remember when he had put it back-, Kanda wondered if the kid's arm was okay. If he remembered correctly, it was the same arm that had been hurt again just last night.

Fucking masochist. He was just begging for someone to brutalize him.

He walked back into the kitchen and noted that the kid hadn't moved except to pick up his chopsticks and begin shoveling food into his mouth. Nearly all the food on the plate was gone and there were random particles on the table and on the kid's lap. Kanda felt a great degree of disgust.

Wasn't the kid supposed to be a prim, prissy, proper British gentleman? If so, what the fuck was with his eating habits?

Must be from being raised by that noisy bastard, Cross.

"When exactly are we leaving, Kanda?" the kid asked as Kanda stepped up to the table. Kanda thought for a minute, recalling all the things that he wanted to do before leaving and when they got to Tiedoll's place.

"About three-thirty or so."

"Okay. The drive is about two hours, isn't it?"

"No shit, Moyashi."

Kanda began pulling off the kid's shirt, intent on getting to the kid's left arm and his abdomen to bandage them. The kid protested weakly, looking annoyed and bewildered, but allowed Kanda to do his business.

"What time does Daisya and Marie's flight get in?"

"5:45. What the fuck's with all the damned questions, you retard??" Kanda demanded, putting pressure on the kid's left arm on one particularly swollen muscle.

"Ow, you wanker! I'm just bloody curious!" the kid yelled, glaring heatedly at Kanda.

"Move your arm."

"Why?"

"Because I said so, retard."

"Fine!"

The kid moved his arm up slightly before grimacing and freezing. When he tried to move it further up, trying and failing to hide the pained expression on his face, Kanda stopped him and yanked his arm down. The kid yelped, cursing in what Kanda thought was French. It sounded more like a mixture of Portuguese and French, truthfully.

"Aren't you talented." Kanda sniffed sarcastically. The Brit sneered, his pale-pink lips twisting, and jabbed Kanda in the forehead with his chopsticks.

"You are going to need an arm sling, as I thought," Kanda remarked, sending a deadly glare up to the kid, choosing to ignore the poke. He wasn't sure the kid could survive a day without getting injured, so he didn't need Kanda's help, really. Though it would be nice to land one, solid punch in the kid's perfect, angelic face for the fun of it.

"An arm sling? Really? Why?"

"Because you pulled some of the muscles in your arm, stupid, and if you put anymore strain on them, you will end up with serious muscle damage. I'm going to get an arm sling from that crazy bastard's house so you can stop being so masochistic for at least a few hours." the Japanese man replied, finishing up on the Moyashi's arm.

"I'm not a masochist."

Kanda arched a dark eyebrow and looked pointedly at the various injuries on the kid's body.

"And I'm notJapanese." he returned, quite sardonically. The kid sighed harshly, rolling his eyes.

"Whatever."


	27. Part Twenty One: Volatile

The Hidden Artist

Part Twenty-One: Volatile

* * *

Around three o'clock, Kanda came storming into Allen's apartment, interrupting the Brit's homework session, looking restless. Allen looked up patiently from his homework, his gray eyes asking -patiently- what Kanda wanted.

Kanda closed the apartment door and moved over to seat himself on the couch. He leaned back as far as he could and crossed one leg over the other, closing his eyes. This earned a curious look from Allen, but he didn't complain. In fact, he quite like the picture before him and wouldn't mind if Kanda stayed like that for a while.

To keep his mind from going places it shouldn't, Allen asked the obligatory question:

"Is there something you need, BaKanda?"

"Waiting for your stupid-ass to finish up so we can go." This response was given with eyes still closed, so Kanda missed the grin the erupted on the Brit's suddenly devious face.

Kanda was very good about being on time, so therefore, he never had to be early. That being the case, just what was he doing here, half an hour earlier than he himself had said that they would leave? He must have become bored of being stuck in his apartment by himself -since Allen had left nearly two hours previous to do homework and other such things-, something Allen was heavily betting on.

The Brit took his time doing his homework, both to elongate the time in which Kanda spent on his couch and because he couldn't help but be distracted by the sight before him. He was sitting on the floor -much better for doing homework, in his opinion, so that he didn't get to comfortable and allow his mind to wander- and so was permitted a wonderful view of Kanda's long legs in close-fitted, black jeans.

The T-shirt looked odd on Kanda, but certainly not in a bad way. It was just different. Kanda's Japanese features made him more suited to Japanese- or Chinese-style clothing. Or Asian-style clothing in general. But Allen figured, given a chance, anything would look good on Kanda. He looked good by himself, so just add clothes...

Or subtract them, a devious part of Allen's mind snickered. The Brit's eyes widened considerably and he inhaled sharply -almost a gasp, except he was trying to be secretive to not attract attention from Kanda-, his face lighting up in a bright shade of red.

In spite of his attempts to hide his sudden surprise, Kanda opened one eye and looked down at Allen, sarcasm and contempt alight in that one, dark eye.

"You didn't hurt yourself _again_, did you, Baka Moyashi?"

"My name is Allen, bastard, and no-! I didn't hurt myself!"

"Che. Are you done with your damned work?"

"I am _almost_ done, Kanda. It's only 3:20, anyway."

"Close enough. Hurry your ass up."

Kanda closed his eyes again and sat there calmly -odd for the impatient man, that was for sure-, waiting for Allen to finish. A few seconds later, Allen finished up the sentence that he had been trying to work on for the past few minutes -Kanda was quite the distraction-, quietly closed his books and put his papers into their respective places. Then, moving as silently as he could, he stood up and stepped around the small coffee table to where Kanda sat comfortably.

He lifted his foot and nudged Kanda's leg, arms folded over his chest.

"Are you quite down sitting on my couch like that?" the Brit asked when Kanda snapped his head up to glare at Allen.

"Don't fucking touch me, Moyashi." Kanda growled, his glare dangerous. Allen shrugged and turned around casually to walk to his front door, grabbing his house keys off of his coffee table first. Kanda followed along after and went through the door when Allen opened it. He walked off a few feet before turning his head to look back at Allen. The Brit locked his front door and then turned to face Kanda.

"Are you done?" Kanda asked impatiently.

"Yeah. Are you, BaKanda?"

"What the hell do you think. I've been waiting on your slow ass."

"Wanker." Allen muttered under his breath. Kanda narrowed his eyes, but probably only saw the lip movement and didn't hear the words. After a brief glare, the Japanese man turned heel and took off down the hallway, walking somewhat briskly. Allen followed along after him obediently, watching the swing of Kanda's long pony-tail.

In an odd way, Allen was somewhat jealous of Kanda's long hair. He was fairly sure that it would take him half a lifetime to grow his hair that long, what with all the management it no doubt required. Kanda must be very faithful to his hair, Allen mused, otherwise, it would not grow so healthy or so long.

Must come with his attitude.

Allen snickered a little, covering his mouth to muffle the sound. If Kanda heard, he betrayed nothing.

The Japanese man lead the way to his car in silence, neither looking back at Allen to see if he was following or even giving any sign that he knew that Allen was indeed following. The Brit didn't particularly care.

* * *

Nor did he particularly care that the car ride to Tiedoll's house was made in utter silence, with the exception of the sound of the revving engine and Kanda's angered noises at other drivers. He figured that the silence was sort of like karma. Or yin and yang?

In any case, it's similar to a balance. Last night he was so forward and...caring, so today he must be distant and cold....Right?

The Brit rolled his eyes in the equivalent of a shrug and opened the passenger side door to exit the car. Kanda hadn't said anything as he shut off the engine and got out of the car to head to the front door. As the Japanese man walked away, Allen took his chance to look closely at the house that Kanda had once occupied.

It was a two story cabin-like house, and was quite beautiful in it's own right. To Allen, it looked like the stereotypical cabin-in-the-woods, pulled straight out of a story book. It was in great shape, too. All the wood was bright with color without any water damage from rain. The Brit found that he rather liked the homely feeling that he got from the place.

"Are you going to stand there all day, Moyashi?" Kanda snapped from the front door, waiting impatiently. Allen casually looked up at Kanda and smiled.

"You realize, Kanda, that you had to have been spoiled as a child?" he asked with a teasing grin on his face.

"Che. If you call being tortured by a psychotic old man who thinks he's my father and has been enabled by two equally psychotic wanna-be '_brothers_', spoiled." Kanda said coldly. Allen shrugged.

"Well, think about it..." he said as he walked up to the steps.

"You've lived in a house like this for the past couple of years..."

"-Four and a half. I moved out several months ago, in case you hadn't noticed."

"And who knows what kind of house you lived in before that..."

"A ridiculous place in Germany that I wouldn't live in again if my life depended on it."

"And your father buys you anything you want, if you so much as look at it..."

"He's not my fucking father."

"He's been your legal guardian for how many years now? And he allowed you to grow up the way you did, attitude and all..."

"Legal guardianship doesn't have a fucking thing to do with fatherhood."

"You're spoiled, Kanda."

"Fuck you."

"Yeah thanks." Allen said, standing in the living room -what he assumed was the living room-, waiting for Kanda. The Japanese man was glaring at him with his back to the front door.

"So....We were here for what now?" Allen asked, smiling expectantly at Kanda.

"A sling for your stupid ass and the keys to that stupid van out that is probably in the garage."

"So what are you waiting for?"

"Che. Shut the fuck up and sit down, you fucking Brit."

Allen gasped dramatically.

"Bloody hell! How'd you know I was British?" he asked sarcastically. Kanda looked like he sorely wanted to punch Allen then and there, but just turned sharply and stalked up the staircase at the other side of the room.

Allen grinned and sat down on the couch. He looked around the spacious room until his eyes stopped on a piece of art above the fireplace.

Cocking his head to the side, the Brit stood up and walked quietly over to the painting. He heard Kanda's stomping footsteps somewhere above him, but paid no mind.

The art piece looked really familiar....If he remembered correctly, he had seen it less than a month ago, in the studio at the _Hidden Artist_, waiting to be picked up by it's buyer. It was work by the Hidden Artist, a piece that had been nearly a year old when Allen had come Canada. From the time he had begun playing at the _H.A. _until just before he had packaged it himself to be sent to it's new owner, it had been up on display. It was a very popular work, so he had been told by Lavi, and had attracted many bidders and audiences for a long time before someone had suggested the right amount.

"So...Tiedoll bought it...?" Allen murmured. He supposed that that was to be expected. From what Lavi and Daisya had told him about the old man, he was an artist himself and loved art in all forms. From what Allen could remember, Tiedoll had been admiring that particular piece for a while.

"Too bad Kanda couldn't have picked up some of his nice habits..."

"Too bad I couldn't what??"

Allen flinched, his heart jumping in surprise at the sudden voice in his ear.

"Lord in Heaven, Kanda! What the bloody hell is wrong with you?!" Allen snapped, clutching at his chest and pounding heart.

"It's not my fault that you spaced out like a brainless retard." Kanda sniffed, looking very much amused at Allen's expense.

"Ahh, you bloody-"

"Che. What the hell were you saying about me, Moyashi?" the older man demanded, casting a quick glance up at the piece above the fireplace and then back down to Allen.

"I was saying it's too bad you didn't become more like Tiedoll." the Brit said boldly. Kanda glared.

"You would want me to be like that bastard? Psychotic and obsessive with a complex for picking up kids from various backgrounds??"

"Well, if you started picking up street urchins and raising them as your sons, I would be a little concerned for your mental well-being."

Kanda twitched angrily.

"_Urchins_?" he growled.

"Oh! I'm sorry, did I just compare you to a homeless child? I definitely didn't mean that!"

"I wasn't fucking homeless, you fucking brat."

Allen's smile faded a little. He realized that he might have gone a little too far with the joke, although it was only half-hearted to begin with. Kanda looked very much pissed, though, and Allen was fairly sure that anything he said wouldn't help the problem.

The Japanese man shoved something into Allen's arms and stalked off towards the kitchen where Allen heard the jingling of keys and then the slam of a door.

"Damn. I'm a bloody idiot." he muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"He's so bloody sensitive for being a cold-hearted wanker."

The Brit knew that wasn't true, though. Kanda cared about those around him, a lot, it would seem, but he just rarely showed it. Either that or he showed it in ways that only he would really understand. As it was, if it weren't for the psychology that he had had to learn by living with Cross, Allen was fairly sure that he would never understand Kanda as much as he did.

He looked down at the thing that Kanda had shoved into his chest. It was an arm sling, hospital issue, with a shoulder pad for extended use. Apparently injuries were common in Tiedoll's house hold. Not that that was really a surprise to Allen. With Kanda's volatile nature...anything was possible. With a slight sigh, the Brit walked to the kitchen and out the door that he assumed Kanda had taken.

He was right about the door, as the first thing he saw was Kanda looking under the hood of a dark green van. Kanda didn't look at Allen as he checked multiple components of the car, likely making sure that it was completely ready to run. When the older man slammed the hood shut, he glanced over at Allen, who was still standing in front of the door.

"Are you going to put that goddamned thing on or what, Moyashi? Or do you need help with it?" he snapped condescendingly, his dark eyes angry, but not looking as though he was going to explode.

"Well, truthfully, I have worn arm slings many times before. I was raised by an angry drunk, so it isn't really a surprise..."

"Put the fucking thing on then. And quit standing there like a retard and get in the fucking van." Kanda commanded, walking to the driver's door and opening it angrily.

Before moving to Canada, Allen hadn't been sure that someone could do very many things angrily -in spite of living with Cross for just short of ten years-, but after meeting the volatile Japanese man, he had learned that one can never underestimate the capabilities of certain people. And Kanda was no exception.

With yet another sigh, Allen slipped the sling over his head and placed his arm into the sling, adjusting the shoulder pad until was was nestled comfortably over his collar bone, and then climbed into the van.

Kanda grabbed something out of the center console between the driver's and the passenger's seats. It turned out to be a remote of some sort with only one button. Obviously it was the remote to control the garage door. That was confirmed when Kanda pushed the button and the garage door slowly began it's ascent.

With deft fingers, Kanda slipped the keys into the ignition and turned on the van, then waited somewhat impatiently for the door to completely open. Allen watched the leisurely ascent of the door through the side-view mirror with a bored expression.

After pulling out of the garage, Allen looked over Tiedoll's house again. It reminded him of the inheritance that was waiting for him in various banks around the world. Banks that Cross hadn't bothered to tell him about. Such as the names, contact information...anything.

In fact, he still had Allen's cell phone, which was rather irritating. That was his only communication device, as he had no phone in his apartment.

But...the inheritance. From Mana and an uncle that he had never known he had. Three wills and a lot of money.

Allen shook his head silently, earning a brief glance from Kanda.

What in the world was he going to do with that money? He had never been rich, had never even attained the status of being middle class, especially because of Cross' bad habit of debts, alcohol, women, and God knew what else. He was fairly sure that his job at the _Hidden Artist_ was his first legal job, ever.

More importantly, what kind of person had his uncle been? Where had he and Mana become so rich?

Cross had said something about a group based in the middle east that his uncle had joined for "self-righteous reasons' and that Mana was from a 'long line of princes'. But then again, how much could Allen actually trust Cross about?

True, Cross had been a good parental-figure, somehow, but the man was as faithful and trustworthy as a prostitute.

Allen supposed that he would have to research about his uncle. Although, that would be hard to do since he had no idea what the man's name was. The only thing that Allen knew was that the man's last name was likely to be the same as Allen's and Mana's; Walker. But even that could be questionable. Maybe Allen's uncle had changed his name or maybe Mana had changed his name. Maybe they were half-brothers, with different last names.

It wasn't as though Cross had really given him a lot to work with. But he could look into his inheritance to see what the name of the previous owner had been.

Damn you, Master. You never make things easy for me.

Allen watched the passing scenery without much interest, although normally he loved to look at Canadian landscapes. Having only been in Canada once before moving there, Allen didn't really know much about land of Canada.

He quickly glanced over at Kanda, who was paying full attention to his driving. Driving that was just short of being totally crazy. Not that Kanda was a bad driver; Allen admitted that Kanda was better than Allen would ever be at driving.

With a sigh, Allen turned his attention to the radio. He searched through the pre-programmed settings to find something.

The silence was starting to bother him.

It wasn't as though he really wanted to talk. Kanda seemed to have a short temper today, so Allen had no desire to push the man anymore than he already had. If it were a slightly more normal day, he would have no problem antagonizing the older man, but something seemed to be riding Kanda's mind, irritating him.

Allen had no idea what that might be and didn't want to find out.

He settled for a classical music station, one that he didn't know existed before this point and settled into his seat a little more comfortably.

Still, Allen conceded about ten minutes later, the music did not seem to help. The silence between the two of them was still daunting. At least the Brit knew what he wanted to talk about.

"Say, Kanda..?"

"What."

"I was just curious...Where did you go last night, after work?"


	28. Part Twenty Two: The Long Drive 1

The Hidden Artist

Part Twenty-Two: The Long Drive, First Half

* * *

"I was just curious...Where did you go last night, after work?"

Kanda twitched, cursing mentally. The kid's sudden question had surprised him from his thoughts, which had been along those same lines as the question itself. Fucking Moyashi.

Of course he would bring up something like that. ….Fucking Mikk, too.

"What's it to you." Kanda sniffed, gripping the wheel a little tighter than necessary.

"I was just wondering." the Brit said, shrugging innocently.

"That bastard Mikk wanted to take me to a fucking restaurant." Kanda said coldly, glaring at the memory. After a moment, Kanda realized that Allen hadn't said anything and glanced over at the Brit, arching an eyebrow. The kid was giving Kanda a look that was somewhere between being incredulous and....annoyed?

_Annoyed_?? Why the hell was he ann-

Kanda looked away from Allen, glaring.

"Why the hell do you care anyway, Moyashi? You jealous?" he demanded, his black eyebrows pulled together in an extremely displeased frown.

"I was just curious. And of what would I be jealous?" the kid said, snapping out of his silence. "I'm kind of surprised that you would even accept something like that, since you seem to dislike him so much."

"He's one of Komui's damn clients. It's not like I could _refuse_. You know how that stupid jackass is." Kanda growled.

And that Mikk bastard is my client as well.

It's not like Kanda really needed the damned job, but since he already accepted it, it wasn't like he was going to back out of it.

"Hmm...You are quite right. It's hard to refuse anything from Komui."

It was silent for a while, a great opportunity for Kanda to sink back into his thoughts, except he couldn't get his mind around the expression of annoyance that the Moyashi had shown.

What the hell did he have to be annoyed about! Does the idiot want to have dinner with Mikk or something!

Kanda twitched again.

Hell would freeze over before he allowed that to happen. He didn't trust that Mikk bastard, and he sure as fuck wouldn't hand the stupid kid over to the Portuguese freak.

"You should stay away from that bastard, anyway, Moyashi." Kanda said finally, after a few minutes of silence.

"Komui? Or Tyki?"

"That bastard Mikk!"

"Oh?"

Kanda glanced over at the kid, who was looking rather intrigued. The Japanese man sniffed.

"He has the look of a pedophile. And you look to be his prime target."

"Pedophile?!" the kid demanded, sounding greatly annoyed and offended. Kanda glared. What, was the kid defending that bastard?

"Excuse me, Kanda, but I happen to be an adult! I'm not a bloody kid!"

"Oh, fine. Then you'll be his rape victim. Of course, then again, you can't rape the willing."

"Who's _willing_??! And you would know, huh, Kanda?!"

"Know about what, Moyashi!"

"Rape, you closet pervert!!"

"What the fuck, Moyashi! Closet pervert?! Who the fuck is a closet pervert!!" Kanda demanded, glaring angrily over at the kid.

"You, obviously!" the Brit shot back, his pale cheeks flushed with anger. A small, twisted part of Kanda found that the kid was attractive when surging with anger. His eyes were light up and sharp, brow creased with annoyance, and his mouth was set in a straight line of displeasure.

"Che. You truly are an idiot. And a child. Closet pervert, Moyashi?" Kanda sniffed, letting go of his anger. Allen looked shell-shocked at the sudden change, much to Kanda's pleasure, his mouth hanging open slightly. Those parted, pink lips were too tempting, Kanda decided. With a dismissive "Che," he put all of his concentration in driving, ignoring the looks that Allen cast his way.

"I'm not a bloody child." the Brit repeated sullenly, leaning back in his seat comfortably to look back out the window after a few good minutes. Kanda smirked in amusement.

After another few minutes, the atmosphere tense with thought, Allen spoke again.

"Why do you care, anyway? About me being close to Tyki?"

"Because he's a bastard."

"Because you don't like him," Allen corrected. Kanda was silent.

Of course he didn't like the bastard.

"You don't like anybody, Kanda. What makes Tyki so special?" the Brit asked, actually sounding curious. Did the kid trust him about it, then?

Kanda thought about it, wondering what it was about Mikk that so set him on edge.

"Aside from the fact that he looks like a slimy bastard?" Kanda asked, shifting his dark eyes over to Allen briefly.

"Yeah, sure. Aside from that."

The Japanese man admitted, to himself, that he wasn't really sure about what it was exactly that made him so distrustful of Mikk. Something in his eyes when he looked at the Moyashi. It was a look that a predator would give his prey. Like some small part of him wanted nothing more than to hurt Allen.

Kanda tightened his grip on the wheel until his knuckles went white.

"He's a threat." he said simply.

"Threat to what?" Allen asked, arching a white eyebrow. Kanda sighed. How long was the fucking interrogation going to last!

"Everything....." he growled, glaring at the thought of the Portuguese bastard.

"_You_."

"Me?" Allen questioned, his voice confused.

"Why me? He didn't even know me before yesterday. How..._Why_ would he be a threat to me?"

"Shut the hell up. Like I would fucking know. I'm not that pedophile fuck." Kanda said coldly. Both of them were silent for a while until the Japanese man spoke again.

"Just stay the hell away from Mikk, got it Moyashi?"

"Fine, fine. I trust you, Kanda."

The classical music station that Allen had set the radio on switched to some stupid talk show, so Kanda flipped though the stations, trying to find something good, or at the very least, worth listening to.

None of the stations sounded like something he cared to listen to, so he just flicked the radio off. He half-wished that he had brought his CDs along from his own car. Without them, he supposed that the two of them would have to suffer through the drive in silence.

* * *

After about half an hour of silence -neither of them seemed to show any interest in speaking after the _discussion_ about Mikk-, Kanda noticed that the soft breathing from next to him wasn't regular breathing. He glanced over at the Moyashi quickly as a small smile turned the corner of his mouth up.

The kid was sound asleep, head turned towards Kanda; his soft, content smile warming Kanda's chest and making his stomach do flips in a pleasant manner.

Shaking his head, the Japanese man looked back towards the road and noticed that they only had another forty-five minutes before reaching the airport. Forty-five minutes was relative, depending on traffic. And the van's gas tank. Kanda looked down at the meter, checking the amount. They would have to stop over soon at a gas station. The tank had been nearly full when they left, and seemed to be doing fairly well on gas.

It somewhat surprised Kanda. Usually Tiedoll was horrible with choosing vehicles, much like his last vehicle, that this van had replaced. It had been a 1970 something station wagon that had absolutely horrible gas mileage. Not to mention that the thing was down-right hideous. Daisya, luckily, had been the one to have to drive it anywhere. Kanda had had his Camaro since he was 18, but Daisya had refused a car from Tiedoll.

Kanda didn't know why, truthfully. He had helped Tiedoll pay the car's expenses with his income from having his art work sold off. Admittedly, Daisya didn't have a job that paid as much as Kanda's did, but the soccer-freak did have a job. He could have paid a little bit for a car.

Kanda shrugged dismissively. It didn't really matter, anyway.

It did, however, amuse him to no end to see Daisya driving the stupid-looking station wagon. The Turkish boy had insisted that he didn't mind, but when Kanda had still lived with the three, Daisya had always ridden with Kanda to work.

He figured that Daisya had some plan or another in which he would get his own car, on his own time. It didn't particularly matter to Kanda, in any case.

A sign on the side of the road claimed that there was a truck stop a mile ahead, so Kanda switched to the lane to exit the highway.

* * *

A couple minutes later, he was pulling into a gas station. The slowing of the car didn't seem to wake up Allen, though. Kanda was half tempted to smack the kid awake, but the peaceful expression on his face stilled Kanda's hand. With an uncaring shrug, Kanda got out of the car to walk into the gas station. He handed the cashier some money, told her the pump number, then walked out of the building quietly. He felt the woman's envious eyes on his back, but brushed it off.

When he got back to the van, the kid was slowly and groggily looking around, his gray eyes confused and questing for Kanda. When he finally met Kanda's eyes, he smiled softly and the Japanese man wasn't entirely sure if the kid was aware it. Nevertheless, it made his chest tighten pleasantly and he fought back the urge to smirk victoriously.

Whatever the kid may have thought of Mikk, it showed the Kanda was first and foremost on his mind, no matter what. That reassured Kanda and he released a sigh of relief that he hadn't know he had been holding in. Did that mean he was jealous of Mikk? Or was he just jealous in general when it came to the oblivious Brit?

Jealous?

Kanda rolled his eyes incredulously. Since when was _he_ jealous?

As the Japanese man began filling the van's gas tank, he heard the passenger door open and slam shut. The Moyashi walked around the side of the van and then leaned against the driver's door to watch Kanda.

"Hey, Kanda."

"What."

"I'm hungry."

Kanda sighed harshly.

"When are you _not_ hungry, Moyashi?" he demanded, finishing up with the gas pump, flicking his wrist to twist the gas cap back on, and then put the gas pump back in it's holder.

"When I am sleeping, BaKanda." Allen shot back, smirking sarcastically.

"Che, not fucking likely. I've slept next to you, Moyashi, and I can hear that ungodly pit of yours making noise all night." Kanda hissed, definitely amused and relishing the chance to tease Allen. The Brit rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, sure, BaKanda. Anyway..I'm hungry. Let's get something to eat."

"Just go into the store and buy something, Moyashi." Kanda sniffed, gesturing to the convenience store. Allen frowned disapprovingly.

"Are you serious? I may not look like it, but I have certain standards when it comes time to eat a meal. And besides, you have to be hungry, too, Kanda. We haven't eaten since this morning."

"Which was a measly three, four hours ago?" the Japanese man insisted, not really caring for any of the restaurants around the truck stop. It was all fast food or 'high class' restaurants. Nothing that even remotely resembled Japanese food. He could survive another hour or so without food. And once they were in the city, they could find a Japanese restaurant and Kanda would be satisfied. The others could eat anywhere they wanted, Kanda found that he didn't really care.

"Oh come on, Kanda. How long is it until we get to the airport? Well, that doesn't matter. It's too long. I'm hungry now and I would like to eat something. Please?" the Moyashi responded, putting one hand to his stomach as if it were going to shrink before their eyes. Kanda, with a harsh sigh, pushed the kid away from his door and got in. He waited until Allen got in, a hopeful light in his gray eyes, before turning the car on and driving out of the gas station parking lot.

"So what the hell do you want?" Kanda demanded as they waited at a stop light.

"Umm...Let me think."

"Hurry your ass up or I will get back on the highway and you will have to fucking suffer." Kanda hissed unhappily. Allen glanced once over to Kanda, arching an eyebrow that made the Japanese man want to punch him, before pointing to a rather fancy looking restaurant.

"That one!"

Kanda eyed the elaborate sign skeptically before driving over to it, not saying a word to Allen. The kid was beaming at Kanda, making the Japanese man slightly unsettled.

Stupid Brit.


	29. Side Note 3: Poll Results

The Hidden Artist

Side Note 3: Pairing Poll Results

* * *

_Dear Readers,_

**The voting for the side pairing is over! The results are in and~~~!!**

**The winning pair is Lucky! Tyki and Lavi will, eventually, become the side pairing!**

**Given that, perhaps the second side pairing, if I get around to it and if it isn't disapproved of, will be DaisyaXLenalee!**

**Thank you for your participation!  
**

_Much love and hope,_

_-Maze Puppet_

_P.S. Keep up the reviews! Your input and opinions are still valued and I want to hear/read everything you think about this story!  
_


	30. Part Twenty Three: Dinner Mates

The Hidden Artist

Part Twenty-Three: Dinner Mates

* * *

When Kanda said those words, responding to Allen's innocent question, Allen felt his heart sink.

"That bastard Mikk wanted to take me to a fucking restaurant." Kanda had said and though Allen knew by the older man's tone that he was unhappy about it, he could not help but feel a little jealous and annoyed.

Dinner? Tyki had taken Kanda to dinner?

Surely, Kanda hadn't enjoyed himself. He had pretty much said so with his displeased tone throughout the conversation, but that hadn't stopped Allen. Kanda had promised -in his own way- that Allen was his and though that had been rather awkward, the Brit had taken Kanda's words to heart.

He did want to belong to Kanda. And he wanted nothing more than to spend all of his time with the older man.

So, with those pained feelings of jealousy and annoyance in mind, Allen had suggested to Kanda that they get something to eat. Then, when Kanda had suggested that the Brit just go get something from the convenience store, he wanted nothing more than to punch Kanda and drag him -forcefully, if necessary- to the nearest restaurant. He wanted to eat a meal with Kanda, too.

It made him feel like such a child, but he didn't care. He wanted to go to a nice restaurant and eat with Kanda, the bloody Portuguese man could go to hell for all he cared.

And, it was with great joy that he found himself walking into the restaurant with Kanda, trying to hide the pleased grin -not very successfully- that curved his lips.

When the maitre d' asked how many people would be in their party, the Japanese man looked deliberately -and quite sarcastically- at Allen and then back to the waiter.

"I wonder." Kanda said rudely to the maitre d', his frown darkening. The man had the presence of mind not to look too offended as he wrote something down on his little notebook.

"Two then, right, sir? Very well, follow me." he said politely. Allen felt a little bad for the man, but shrugged. It wasn't as though Kanda's behavior would ever change.

Not that he was complaining. He liked Kanda just the way he was.

"Here is your table, sirs. Your waiter will be with you in a moment." the man said, bowing as he took his leave. Allen and Kanda sat down opposite each other and picked up the menus before them.

The Brit skimmed the menu and decided on a fifteen ounce steak, medium-rare, a side of vegetables, potatoes, and an herbal tea. While Kanda was still looking at the menu, Allen pulled out his wallet and checked how much money he had on him.

His job at the Hidden Artist paid well, but between his college expenses, rent, food, and all the other necessities, Allen found the he didn't ever really have much money left in his pocket book. He had enough to pay for his share of the meal and for a nice tip, but not much more after that. He wasn't overly concerned, after all he had survived through much worse when he "lived" with Cross, not to mention before he had been adopted by Mana. At least when he had "lived" under Cross' guardianship he had some money on the side from his less-than-legal jobs and gambling in poker games, and with Mana, they had lived rather comfortably on meager wages from their circus job.

However, when he had lived on his own, after being abandoned by his biological parents, Allen hadn't had any money. He had had to run from the police on many an occasion when he was caught stealing from a store for food or clothing so as to avoid being put in a juvenile delinquents' home, or an orphanage.

Only once had he been caught and in that instance, he hadn't even done anything illegal. The police had just noticed that he had been loitering outside a building for hours, looking every bit the homeless child, and had come up to him, giving the excuse of just wanting to "talk". They had taken him into custody, questioned him for a couple hours, and then decided to take him to an orphanage.

He would ever forget the experience at the orphanage. In this day and age, one would have thought that orphanages would be kinder, filled with kind old women and volunteering wives or something. But what Allen had found there was a bunch of screaming, yelling old women and screaming, yelling, threatening children. Everyone there had called him a freak and a monster because of the scar on his arm. Many of the children had beat him up because they disliked the way he "looked". All of those fights had been blamed on him, so he received a beating from the angry old women as well.

Needless to say after less than a week there, Allen was ready to bust out and run away. They hadn't tried to go after him and he had never looked back. From that point on, the young British child had made a point to avoid all adults of any kind of authority. At least, that was until he met Mana Walker.

Kanda's harsh sigh of annoyance snapped the Brit out of his thoughts, making him look up from his wallet to the Japanese man.

"What is it, Kanda?" Allen asked curiously.

"I don't know what the fuck any of this shit is." Kanda growled. His harsh words and inappropriate language drew the disturbed attention of a couple of people, who shook their heads in disapproval. Either Kanda didn't notice or didn't care.

"Surely you have eaten some of it before," Allen insisted. When Kanda just glared, the Brit stiffled an incredulous laugh.

"So what? You have been eating Japanese food your whole life?"

Again, Kanda just glared.

"Amazing, Kanda. Just when I thought you couldn't get anymore Japanese."

"I _am_ Japanese, baka Moyashi! My entire family was Japanese!"

"Oh, so you're a pure bred?" Allen teased, grinning.

"Yeah, and you're a mutt, Moyashi. Were your parents even British?" Kanda sniffed dismissively.

"I wouldn't know, Kanda. I never met them."

Kanda was silent as he looked back at Allen.

"I was abandoned not long after I was born, I think. I don't really remember much before I was four years old."

"Anyway, Kanda. What is so hard about ordering something to eat? I'm sure that they have something similar to Japanese food that would please you." Allen offered, opening his menu once more.

"What's your favorite kind of meat?"

"Fish."

"I guess that would make sense, as you are Japanese. What kind of fish? They have salmon, tilapia, snapper...Uhh..._Tuna_..."

"Salmon."

"Okay, then you can have the salmon fried, baked, put in a sandwich....?"

"Baked, Moyashi."

"Any vegetables? Fruit? Side dishes or dessert?" Allen asked, still inspecting the menu. Kanda thought a moment.

"I don't fucking care."

"What about dessert?"

"I hate sweet things."

"Okay. So then we are ready to order, right, BaKanda?"

"No shit, Moyashi."

The waiter walked up a few silent minutes later, all smiles and politeness, and asked them if they were ready to order.

"Ahh, yes, we are. I will have the fifteen ounce steak with a side of vegetables and a baked potato, no dressing, thank you." Allen answered, smiling just as politely. The man looked pleasantly surprised at Allen's British accent, but said nothing.

"And you, sir?" the waiter asked, turning to Kanda. Before Kanda could say anything, Allen jumped in, smiling still.

"He wants the salmon, baked, with a side of vegetables as well." the Brit said, drawing the waiter's attention back to him. Kanda looked a little annoyed at having his order given for him, but Allen ignored him.

"Okay, sir. And do you want anything to drink?"

"We would both like hot tea, please. And do you have herbal tea?"

"Why, yes we do, sir. Is that what you would like?"

"Yes, please."

The waiter gave them a time in which their food would be out, and that he would return with their tea in a few minutes, and then left.

"Don't you ever get sick of being so damned polite?" Kanda demanded in disgust. Allen smile.

"Why, does it bother you, Kanda? Oh please, forgive me." the Brit said, emphasizing his accent and his politeness to the extreme. Kanda glared.

"It took years of living with Mana and Cross for me to become like this, Kanda. I do it out of respect for others, something that you couldn't understand."

"Che, I have respect. I just don't know anyone worthy of it."

"You're an arsehole, Kanda, you know that, right?"

"Che."

The tea arrived, steaming and exuding a pleasant smell that made Allen smile. As they drank their tea in silence, Allen realized that he had spoken about Mana to Kanda as easily as if he had been discussing the weather. Somewhere along the time that the had spent with Kanda over the past few days, he had opened up to Kanda, so much so that he could talk about Mana without the painful memories of his last few days with his father.

Somehow, he had begun to actually trust Kanda.

Somehow, Allen had opened his heart to the Japanese man.

It was a startling revelation, one that made Allen both confused and..grateful of the -friendship? relationship?- that he had with the Japanese man. Taking a small sip from his cup, the Brit took a good look at Kanda.

Bad attitude, beautiful, kind, irritating, arrogant....This and so much more makes up the man before me.

Allen set down his cup and stared into its depth.

He is so infuriating, too. But somehow, he makes up for it. _Somehow_.

Whatever it was, Allen had no clue as to it's nature. It couldn't be his masculine beauty...That alone would not have attracted Allen to the Japanese man's side.

Allen shook those thoughts away as the food arrived, his stomach applauding the scent that reached his nose. Folding a napkin on his lap, the hungry Brit dug into his food with abandon, but watched his manners, as this meal was quite special to him.

Kanda, on the other hand, glared at his food suspiciously. After giving the fish and vegetables a thorough examination, he picked up his fork -handling it with an almost unnoticeable difficulty-, he poked at the fish with the fork, watching the pinkish meat slide a little ways across the plate.

"Eat it, Kanda. It's food. And it's not poisoned." Allen quipped, picking up his knife to cut off a piece of his steak. The Japanese man looked up at Allen, eyes narrowed as if he wasn't sure if he should believe the Brit, glanced at the steak on Allen's plate, and then looked back at his own plate. With quiet and annoyed sigh, Kanda pulled a piece of fish off of the main portion with his fork and lifted to his mouth.

He chewed it slowly, almost like he expected it to suddenly gain a horrid taste, as if he was ready to spit it out at any time. Finally, Allen watched as he swallowed it, giving a slight twitch of his mouth as he did.

"So..?"

"Che. I've eaten worse."

"Glad to hear it."

Kanda glared and pulled another piece of fish off of the main portion, still a relatively small piece, but he ate it none-the-less. Allen smiled into his tea cup, happy that Kanda hadn't stormed out or refused to eat the fish.

It meant that he at least liked his meal a little bit.

* * *

Throughout the rest of the meal, Kanda was silent, but diligent in eating the fish and vegetables before him. He didn't complain or make any sarcastic remarks, so Allen was content. Nor was he brooding, the Brit noted.

The two of them split the bill and then left, Allen heaving a very satisfied sigh. Sure he had been hungry, and that desire had been fulfilled, but his main goal had been to get Kanda to go to a restaurant with him. And that goal had been met.

As Allen and Kanda sat back down in the van, the Brit felt his eyes grow heavy yet again. Now that he had eaten, his body demanded yet more rest. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't feel like he should complain. Kanda got back on the highway, making the van jump to 120 kilometers per hour*.

The Brit allowed himself ten minutes of sleep before waking back up. He looked around at his surroundings –they were just passing through a small town– and then over at Kanda. It was then that he felt the warmth surrounding his left hand and looked sharply down. Kanda's long fingers covered the back of Allen's hand, one thumb idly stroking the skin over his knuckles. For several moments, his lungs refused to work, his mouth open slightly from the surprise.

When he recovered, Allen looked away shyly, flipping his hand over to grab hold of Kanda's in return. The Brit could feel Kanda twitch slightly before squeezing gently. Heart racing, Allen kept his eyes trained on the outside scenery, a blush creeping up his cheeks to warm his skin.

"Thank you for taking me to eat, Kanda." Allen muttered softly. Kanda made a noncommittal noise as he drove one-handed, down the highway.

Allen's thought wandered for a while, anywhere from the current location of his Cross-abducted cell phone, to Kanda, to Tyki, and finally to his inheritance, for the second time since setting out from Tiedoll's house.

Though he had thought to research who his uncle had been, and perhaps find out more about his first adoptive father, Mana, in the process. It wasn't as though he had lived with Mana for a long time, so he really didn't know that much about his adoptive father. However, as a person and as a father, Mana was the first human being that Allen had ever bothered to get close to. And for a short time, he was rewarded for putting himself out into the open, exposing his heart to the warmth that Mana had represented.

After _that_ happened, though, life had seemed to turn back the dial, to the time before Allen had met Mana. For three weeks after Mana had died, 'Allen' had ceased to exist. He had slumped into a mindless, numb depression. All he could remember from that time was an empty, starving, dying emotion that hurt even now to think about. He had barely survived up until the point that Cross had found him. He could still clearly remember the first words that Cross had spoken after coming to find him.

"_So you're the little brat that Mana left behind. Dirty little bastard....Huh, hurry your ass up and come with me. I guess I'm your father now, kid."_

They were truly laughable words now, telling Allen that he should have been a little more cautious about opening up to Cross, but back then, they had been a flicker of hope for the foundling. The next few years had been hard on Allen, but considerably easier than living on his own. He had truly been grateful to Cross, however much of a bastard the red-haired man had been.

Allen had never called Cross 'father' and neither was he expected to, but in some ways, the Brit had thought of the man as a sort of father, in some ways. In other ways, Cross had been like a twisted sort of teacher, hence why Allen had called him 'master'. Cross had taught Allen many things that he figured Allen should know.

While Mana had taught Allen how to please a circus crowd, Cross had taught Allen to pick-pocket. Allen had had to learn the hard way how not to get caught, after that.

While Mana had taught the Brit how to speak four or five languages and how to read and write, Cross had taught him how to curse in two or three times that many languages. And Allen still knew each and every word.

And while Mana had taught his beloved son how to love unconditionally, Cross had taught Allen that love was conditional and easily used, easily thrown away. Not that Allen ever utilized that kind of skill.

"Oi, Moyashi!"

Kanda's voice snapped Allen out of his thoughts as the Japanese man pulled his hand out of Allen's grasp to grip the wheel. The Brit panicked for a moment, thinking that something bad had happened, but all that was happening was that Kanda was weaving through traffic, trying to get to the exit coming up.

"What? What is it, Kanda?"

"We are about ten minutes away from the airport, so prepare to get your ass out of the van." Kanda snapped, looking irately at the cars in front of him, who were obviously driving too slow for his preference.

"Really? We're here already! That was fast!" the Brit said in surprise, checking the clock on the radio.

"You were day dreaming for about half an hour, Moyashi."

"Bloody hell....Wait! Why do I have to get out of the van?!" Allen demanded, looking over at Kanda with great alarm. Was the bastard planning to kick Allen of the car??

"Because you're not sitting up front when I pick up the others. Nor am I driving anymore after this. So you are going to get your ass out and move to the back seat." Kanda snapped, passing a car, speeding as he did so, with a rude gesture to the other driver. The driver honked indignantly, but that just made Kanda smirk wickedly.

Allen shook his head at Kanda's reckless driving. He doubted that the Japanese man would ever change his behavior; the man just seemed to enjoy it too much. Of course, as he had told himself many, many times before, it wasn't as though Allen would complain if Kanda stayed the same. Kanda just would not be the same man, in _any_ sense, if he acted any different.

It was only a couple more minutes until Kanda parked into a rather large parking lot. He turned off the van and started unbuckling. When he noticed that Allen hadn't moved, he cast a slightly annoyed glare over to the younger man.

"Get your ass out of the van, Moyashi. We have to go find those useless idiots."

"Oh, you know you care about them, Kanda. After all, they are your family."

"Che. What the fuck, Moyashi, you're a retard."

"And you're a heartless wanker, Kanda, but somehow, I still like you."

Kanda was silent, his eyes measuring Allen critically. Allen smiled his trademark smile with a slightly sarcastic twist before climbing out of the van to wait for Kanda. The Japanese man was about ten seconds late in following suit, but his expression didn't betray whatever emotions he may have been feeling at that particular moment.

"Hurry your ass up, Moyashi." he sniffed quietly before stalking off towards the airport's main terminal. Allen smiled again, softer and kinder this time, admiring Kanda's strong figure from behind.

"You know it's true, though, BaKanda," Allen said very quietly, so that Kanda could not hear.

* * *

* 120 kilometers per hour = about 75 miles per hour


	31. Part Twenty Four: The Long Drive, 2

The Hidden Artist

Part Twenty-Four: The Long Drive, Second Half: Surprises

* * *

Kanda found his adopted family crowded -and it was a crowd in his opinion, since it was his family and he knew them well; they were proficient at crowding- around a small souvenir booth, making various noises about items they liked.

Daisya was the first to notice him, but in fact it wasn't Kanda that he immediately showed interest in. Those sharp eyes were riveted on Allen, showing surprise.

"Kanda?" he questioned, brown eyes not moving an inch from the Brit's form. Kanda frowned. He knew this was coming. The last time that Daisya had seen Kanda, Kanda had been all but professing his undying hatred for Allen, at least out loud. To see the Brit being dragged along on a two hour drive -just the two of them, lots of private time- just to pick up Kanda's "family" probably was questionable.

Not that Kanda would put up with any insinuations towards his and the kid's relationship. _At all_.

"Yuu-kun!!" Tiedoll cried, smiling brightly as soon as he saw Kanda. The Japanese man cringed inwardly and glared at the old man.

"Don't fucking call me that, old man."

"Now, now, Yuu-kun, you should act like a proper son and give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek!" Tiedoll insisted, poking a finger into his own cheek.

Kanda heard Allen snicker behind him.

"Laugh all you want, Moyashi. Just remember that I know where you sleep."

"I'm definitely scared, BaKanda."

"Oh, Allen Walker! Did Yuu-kun make you come out here with him! And dear me, what happened to you!"

"Yeah, Walker, you look like you got messed up a bit. Did Kanda kick your ass or something?" Daisya said, arching an eyebrow, assessing the situation that was presented before him. Apparently, he didn't miss the look that the Moyashi shot to Kanda, nor did he mistake the arm sling for anything other than a possession of his family's.

Damn, if only he was a bit dumber. Then I wouldn't have to worry about this kind of shit.

"I didn't fucking touch the Moyashi, you fucking clown!" Kanda snapped, glaring heatedly at the slightly shorter, Turkish man.

"Wow, calm down, Kanda! It was only a joke!" Daisya said, smiling innocently and waving his hands in front of him. Kanda glared.

"I was in a bit of an accident." the kid responded, smiling politely, ignoring Kanda's outburst.

_Accident?!_

"Well, I hope that Yuu-kun hasn't exhausted you too much by bringing you out here to pick us up. I definitely do appreciate you coming with him, though. I'm sure that the ride would have been quite lonely for him had you not come." Tiedoll said, smiling at Allen. Kanda rolled his eyes.

"Che, are you women done _gossiping_?" he snapped.

"Well, then, Yuu-kun, help out with my luggage, would you? And then you can lead the way back to the car."

"Che. Fine. But you can carry your own goddamned luggage, old man."

"Hey, Kanda." Marie greeted, making his way to Kanda's side. Kanda grunted in return, casting a quick glance up at Marie.

"Did you enjoy yourself over there?" the Japanese man snapped. Marie smiled at him. Somehow the older man had learned to ignore Kanda's attitude and read his emotions through his voice. For a blind man, he was damned intuitive; Kanda couldn't deny that.

Said blind man side-stepped a child that Kanda had been sure that he would run into, surprising the Japanese man yet again. Kanda really didn't like surprises, or being surprised, for that matter.

"Yes, I did, Kanda. We visited various places, tasted wonderful food, and enjoyed the company of that young lady that Father was convinced is Daisya's match-made-in-Heaven. Really, she was a wonderful young lady with a polite disposition, if a bit opinionated at times. I don't get the feeling that it would have worked out, though." Marie admitted, cocking his head to the side a little.

"What gave you _that_ clue?" Kanda sniffed, looking back at Daisya, Tiedoll and Allen, who were talking spiritedly about...something. He didn't really care either way.

"Our dearest brother." Marie said cryptically, smiling in a manner that Kanda figured should be sly, but just looked rather eery to the Japanese man. He suppressed a shudder; it was obvious that Marie also knew about Daisya's attraction to Lenalee. He was glad that his family would never try to play match-maker with him. Not that they hadn't tried in the past, but it was a little redundant now, he thought, looking back at his Moyashi once again.

"Hey, Kanda! Are you going to drive home?" Daisya called from a few feet behind the two tall 'brothers'.

"No. You are."

"Awesome! Thanks, I was about to ask if I could!"

* * *

True to his word, when they reached the van, Kanda tossed the van's keys over to Daisya and got into the back seat, pushing the kid ahead of him. He sat down in his seat and propped his foot up to prevent anyone else from getting into the back with him and Allen, leaving the others to deal with their luggage.

The kid had some trouble buckling up in his seat and after idly watching him struggle with the seat belt for a minute or some, Kanda finally reached over the Brit and grabbed the seat belt from him. With deliberate slowness, he pulled the seat belt across Allen's chest to his hip, where the buckle awaited. The Moyashi watched with big eyes, his breath suspended as Kanda leaned closer to buckle the kid up.

Kanda was caught by surprise when the kid closed the gap briefly to place his lips softly against the crook of Kanda's neck, which was the closest thing he could reach, it seemed. The Japanese man frowned at the sudden light-headed feeling he got from the gesture. Light gray eyes glanced up quickly, as if checking to see if Kanda was mad, and then disappeared under white hair.

Just as Kanda was about to seek revenge for the unexpected kiss, Daisya called to the rest of the van happily.

"Are we all ready to go now? Is there anywhere we need to stop before we head out on the road?" he asked looking in the rear view mirror. Kanda straightened, but didn't miss the long look that Daisya cast between him and Allen. With a glare, the Japanese man subsequently began ignoring the older man, content to glare out the back window at surrounding cars.

He also ignored the responses from Marie and Tiedoll, but suspected that they had no desire to go anywhere but home. From the years that he had lived with Tiedoll, he had learned that after every trip they went on, Tiedoll would become almost obsessed with "going home" and "getting to bed", describing in detail on occasion, if "going home" took too long, how he would feel once he could take his shoes off and climb underneath the covers of his bed. It was disturbing, needless to say.

As Daisya drove towards the highway, Tiedoll turned around to face the Moyashi and started talking to him, which Kanda still ignored. He couldn't help but think about the few words that the kid had said in the restaurant.

"_It took years of living with Mana and Cross for me to become like this, Kanda."_

The kid had spoken so easily about his adoptive father, Mana, that it was a bit of a shock. Several days previous, the kid hadn't been able to say the name without a load of emotional pain erupting in his gray eyes. Kanda had no idea what had changed.

And what the kid said about his parents...Or his lack of knowledge about his parents.

"_I wouldn't know, Kanda. I never met them. ...I was abandoned not long after I was born, I think. I don't really remember much before I was four years old."_

There had been anger in the Moyashi's eyes when he had said that. Anger that Kanda hadn't really known existed in the kid's mind. Really, the stupid Brit almost never got angry about anything! Well, except Kanda himself. But that had been a different kind of anger. Something that had been simmering for years, growing and shifting, darkening into something...disturbing, almost.

The Moyashi didn't look like the type to harbor any kind of feeling of anger or hatred when a person first saw him, let alone hold a dangerous grudge against the world. But that was what Kanda had seen in Allen's eyes.

It made Kanda wonder about the kid's past. Simple abandonment didn't seem to be something that would corrupt someone like his Moyashi. The stupid kid was just too fucking bright and happy. There was, there _had_ to be, something more to it than 'simple' abandonment. As simple as abandonment could be.

Kanda hadn't been abandoned, so he didn't know the details of it, but if the kid didn't even remember being abandoned, then that wasn't so bad...right?

Right...Kanda hadn't been abandoned... He had _escaped_. That wasn't to say that his family had been abusive or anything. He was sure that had his family been abusive, he would have fought back. Kanda had never been the type to take shit from people, nor would he ever be.

The situation of his family had been special, though. There had never been any real familial 'bond' between Kanda and his parents, or Kanda and his sisters. They were just indifferent to each other, almost as if they were total strangers. Kanda had escaped from that when he had tried to file for separation from his family. However, he had been deemed too young and too inexperienced, or some stupidity like that, and so had been appointed a willing guardian. That guardian had been Froi Tiedoll.

For the Japanese man, family had never really been a problem, one way or another.

Kanda knew that his situation was significantly different from the Moyashi's, so he couldn't logically compare his life to the Brit's. Therefore, he had no common ground in which he could stand to begin understanding what the Brit was feeling or had felt about his lack of parents.

Relative lack of parents; if one could really consider a dead man and a drunk bastard to be parental types.

Something suddenly touched Kanda's shoulder, wresting Kanda from his thoughts. He turned to see Allen sound asleep, leaning against him. An expression of fond emotion almost overtook his face, except that Kanda knew that Tiedoll was watching.

"Old man, you fucking talked him to sleep." he said flatly, his glare accusing and annoyed. Tiedoll smiled fondly.

"I think he likes you, Yuu-kun." the old man responded, although it was less like a response and more like he had entirely ignored what Kanda had said.

"Are you going fucking senile, old man!"

"Fucking kid. He sleeps and eats too much." Kanda sniffed a few minutes later.

"Well, from the looks of things, Yuu-kun, he needs it." Tiedoll remarked. The look Kanda gave him was blank.

"I meant because he has been in an accident. He looks as though he was fairly badly injured. He needs the rest to recuperate, Yuu-kun."

"Stop fucking calling me that."

"It is your name, my dear son."

"I'm not your goddamned-!"

"-Shh!! Watch your volume, Yuu-kun. He's sleeping!"

"As if I didn't fucking know, you old bastard." Kanda sniffed, though he said it quietly.

"What happened anyway, Yuu-kun? He never told us, you know."

"The stupid Moyashi got hit by a damned car."

"A car!"

"Yeah, a fucking automobile, you senile old fuck."

"And he didn't go to the hospital?"

"Of course not. This stupid Moyashi would be fucking concerned about inconveniencing the stupid doctors."

"He's such a polite boy. He was raised so well."

"Che, in spite of that stupid bastard Cross."

"Cross, you said?" Tiedoll asked, suddenly very intrigued. Kanda arched an eyebrow.

"Do you mean to say Cross Marian is Allen's father?"

"Che. _Marian_? Adoptive father, guardian, whatever the fuck you want to call it."

"How interesting."

"What, do you know that stupid bastard?"

"Old acquaintances. We used to work together for the same company. I figured Cross had dropped off the face of the earth years ago, though. I didn't know he was still around, let alone raising a young gentleman. That man isn't very well known for his good manners and polite words." Tiedoll said cryptically, smiling somewhat mischievously.

They fell into a silence that lasted for a good while, Tiedoll turning back to face forward and talk a little with Daisya, while Kanda laced his fingers with Allen's surreptitiously.

After a good deal of thought, Kanda had to wonder if possibly Tiedoll knew Tyki Mikk. Logically, since he knew such a bastard like Cross, he had to know a bastard like Mikk.

"Oi, old man."

"Yes, my dear son?" Tiedoll responded, turning to look back at Kanda.

"I'm not your fucking son. Do you know a bastard named Tyki Mikk?" Kanda asked, glaring at the old man. He had to wonder if the stupid man did it on purpose to annoy Kanda, or if he seriously called Kanda his 'son' all the time in his head.

Kanda was voting for the former.

"Hmmm....The name sounds quite familiar...However, I can't think of anything at this moment. Sorry, why do you ask?"

"Che, you're useless." Kanda said coldly, looking back out the window. He felt Tiedoll's eyes on him for a little while before the man turned around yet again.

* * *

About twenty minutes later, Daisya pulled into the parking lot of some gas station.

"I'm going to get something to eat, you guys," he announced, pulling the keys out of the ignition.

"Is anyone else hungry?"

"I would like something to eat. Airport food has never suited my tastes, for some reason." Marie responded, unbuckling his seat belt. Tiedoll muttered something in agreement. Kanda was silent, having lost interest in the conversation. The three older men looked at him for a full minute before Kanda snapped.

"_What!_"

"I don't think that Kanda would want anything from a gas station convenience store anyway, Daisya." Marie said, to which Daisya agreed, smirking.

"Then don't fucking bother me, you stupid bastards!"

As the three left the van, Kanda felt Allen stir against him. Gray eyes opened to look up at Kanda. The Brit smiled immediately upon realizing who he was laying against.

"Hi, Kanda." he said quietly. Kanda felt that light-headed sensation come back, at which he frowned.

"Hmmm...What a sour face..." the Brit murmured, burying his face into Kanda's neck.

Damn! When did the kid become so...so...touchy!!

Not that Kanda was entirely against it.... But it just seemed like everything was out to surprise him lately. Kanda did not like surprises.

The kid hugged Kanda's arm, pressing himself closer to the older male. Kanda figured that the kid had gone back to sleep, but was proved wrong when Allen spoke.

"Daisya mentioned food, didn't he?"

Kanda rolled his eyes in exasperation. He did eat too much!

"So damned predictable. I assume that means you are hungry, Moyashi." Kanda sniffed, though the first part was just too himself. Allen shifted against Kanda again, looking up from Kanda's shoulder.

"Just a little."

"And do you want to go to a damned expensive fucking restaurant again?" the Japanese man snapped, feeling rather irritated. He had had just about enough of foreign food for the day.

"No...I think something from the convenience store would be fine." the kid said innocently and quietly. Kanda rolled his eyes again and unbuckled himself to get out of the van.

"Well, what the hell do you want, then, Moyashi."

"Cookies? And perhaps some juice?"

"What, are you a fucking child!"

"I am only three years younger than you, BaKanda! If I were a child, that would make you a child as well, you wanker!" the Moyashi snapped back, glaring. It was barely a half-hearted glare, but it pleased Kanda to piss the kid off. It was easy enough to rile the stupid Brit up.

"Age doesn't matter, Moyashi. You're a child." Kanda said with smirking finality.

"And you're a bloody arsehole."

Kanda shut the van door and headed into the convenience store.

Fucking cookies and juice. How ridiculous.

On his way towards the sweets aisle, his cell phone rang in his pocket. It had been quiet all day, so Kanda had almost forgotten about its presence. With considerable annoyance -honestly, why the hell was everything bent on surprising him today!-, he pulled the device from his pocket and answered it.

"Kanda!" a depressed voice wailed as soon as he answered.

"Usagi. What the fuck do you want." Kanda replied, earning a look from the cashier. Daisya, Marie and Tiedoll glanced over briefly, somewhat surprised at seeing Kanda in the store, but seemed to decide against questioning him.

"You know how I went on that date with Lenalee, Kanda? Well, we went and I took her to the movies and then lunch and I thought we were having fun but she said that she didn't like me in that way and I don't know what to do, it feels like she stole my heart and crushed it and then burnt it and froze it in the coldness of her heart! Kanda!!!" Lavi cried. Kanda felt the corner of his mouth lift in a sneer.

"Baka Usagi. Why the hell did you call me about this."

"Because I didn't know who else to call and I am crushed and Allen's not around and you are my best, most trusted friend and I love you and I need your support!!"

"What the fuck did you do, Usagi."

"Well, we went to go see a movie..and I suggested that one movie that I have been wanting to see and she didn't object so I was happy but then she said she didn't like that kind of movie, but she didn't say so until after the movie was over and why can't I be gay like you and Allen! I want a gay lover to hold me and tell me lovey things like you tell to Allen-!"

"-What the fuck, Usagi!!" Kanda growled into the phone, almost crushing it in his hand.

"But it's true and you love Allen and I want someone to love me!! Why are women so difficult and so dumb and I thought I loved her but she hurt me!"

"Shut the hell up, Usagi! Obviously, it didn't fucking work, so get over yourself and go get a fucking life!"

The line was silent for a while as Kanda searched through the cookies, trying to decide what the kid would like. He didn't eat cookies. He didn't like sweets. The fact that he was in a store buying cookies was beyond him.

"I...I think you're right, Kanda."

The line was silent for a while longer, with the exception of what Kanda strictly ignored, which sounded vaguely like sniffing and soft, sad, crying noises.

"You're a genius, Kanda. Thank you. I'll remember this forever and ever."

"Whatever. Just stop fucking calling me, you fucking loser."

"Thank you Kanda."

"Shut the fuck up. I'm hanging up." With that, Kanda snapped his phone shut, effectively ending the call, and shoved the device in his pocket. Radiating with irritation, the Japanese man snatched up a package of cookies, making sure that they were as sweet as he could find, then stalked over to the drinks and grabbed some random juice.

He slammed his chosen items on the counter, making the cashier jump in surprise. Eyes and expression rather confused and scared, the young lady rang up the cookies and juice and announced the price to Kanda. The Japanese man pulled out the appropriate amount of cash, handed it to her, and grabbed his stuff to leave.

"Sir, don't you want a receipt??" the lady called after him, standing on her tip-toes to see over the display stands.

"Couldn't give a fuck less, woman." he snapped as he exited through the door. He stalked across the parking lot to the van, where Daisya, Marie and Tiedoll had already gotten in and were waiting patiently, munching on various foods.

When Kanda sat down, he thrust the cookies and juice at Allen, who struggled to keep from dropping them to the floor.

"K-Kanda!" the kid protested, looking confused. He seemed to notice the particularly pissed expression that Kanda had.

"What happened?"

"That goddamned rabbit fucking called me to tell me about a fucking failed date with Lenalee." Kanda snapped, glaring. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and flipped it open to turn it to 'silent' so that he wouldn't be bothered by calls anymore.

Up front, Daisya choked on something, coughing in surprise.

"Say what??" he asked sharply, reminding Kanda of Daisya's interest in the Chinese girl.

"He went on a date with Lenalee? How did you know about this, Kanda?" Allen asked, and from the looks of it, Daisya would have asked something similar, had the Moyashi not beat him to it.

"That fucking loser Usagi called me this morning. Che, I never should have given him my fucking number."

"But you didn't give him your number, Kanda-!" Daisya interjected, then snapped his mouth shut, realizing what he had just revealed.

"I fucking knew it was you, you fucking clown!!" Kanda yelled, glaring hatefully at the older man.

"Hehehe...Yeah...I always meant to tell you...But somehow, it never came out...." the Turkish man admitted, rubbing at his neck nervously.

"Step the fuck out of this goddamned van and let me kick your mother-fucking ass!!" Kanda hissed, cracking his knuckles.

"I would much rather not, little brother." Daisya said, grinning. Kanda twitched, rigid with fury.

_Little- Brother-?!!_

"You're gonna _fucking die_, clown."

As Daisya started the car to prevent Kanda from jumping out from the car to do something drastic and satisfying, the Moyashi laid a hand on Kanda's leg, presumably trying to calm down the Japanese man. Kanda turned in his seat towards the kid, eyes blazing with rage.

"What, Moyashi!" he snapped sharply, causing the Brit to flinch back a little. Kanda glared harder, his anger being directed elsewhere quite efficiently.

Fucking Moyashi.

"Che...Bunch of fucking retards..." Kanda hissed in displeasure, still very much pissed. He leaned back in his seat, brooding. The Moyashi slowly entwined his fingers with Kanda's, leaning against the older man.

"Stop fucking touching me." the Japanese man growled low in his throat, but didn't actually move to shrug the kid off.

As the van drove off down the highway, the Moyashi chewed happily on his cookies, occasionally offering Kanda a piece of cookie, to which Kanda sneered and turned his head.

"I don't fucking like sweet things, Moyashi." Kanda sniffed at one point. The Brit pouted a little and slowly brought the cookie to his mouth and pressed it against his own lips, unmoving gray eyes on Kanda's expression. The Japanese man watched with a disturbing amount of interest as the cookie passed those lips. The tip of a pink tongue slid out to lick a crumb off of the like-wise pink flesh of the kid's bottom lip. Again, after enjoying that tiny morsel, the tongue slid out to claim the crumbs from the tip of Allen's finger.

Kanda felt hunger stir inside him that had nothing to do with the desire of food. He had a hard time containing that hunger, preventing himself from jumping the kid right there in the back of the van, but carefully leaned forward to claim the tip of Allen's finger with his lips, sucking off the last of the sweetness and sugar that remained.

Combined with the natural taste of the kid's skin, Kanda decided that some sweets were okay.

Leaving the kid blushing and staring, the Japanese man leaned back in his seat to stare out the window. The Moyashi shifted uncomfortably next to him and Kanda felt a wicked smirk up-turning the corners of his mouth.

After that, when Allen offered Kanda a piece of cookie, Kanda would make sure that the kid ate the most of the cookie before claiming it from either his fingers or the corner of his mouth, where stray crumbs seemed to like to collect. The kid would always be left flushed and pleased, eager to share the next morsel of cookie and Kanda was willing to partake.


	32. Part Twenty Five: Kanda, Cookies, and

The Hidden Artist

Part Twenty Five: Kanda, Cookies, and Family

* * *

Allen's heart was still racing from his last encounter with Kanda and Cookie, tasting more of the sharp, pleasing taste that Kanda presented than the sweet, pleasing taste that the cookie did.

His eyes frantically and wildly searched what of the others in the van that he could see, trying to discover if anyone had seen them. About every ten minutes, he repeated this, not caring to be caught in the midst of a scandal. With a sharp glance over to his favorite Japanese man, the Brit smiled.

Scandalous, indeed.

The Japanese man was a scandal...From every ounce of his being, Kanda exuded scandal. And arrogance. And pride. And beauty.

The Brit smiled blissfully, taking a drink of his juice. Where, oh where in the world had Kanda been all those years of agonized hormones jumping between male and female sexual preference? Had Allen met the older man years ago, his preferential fate would have been sealed on the spot. Or so Allen's still-bewildered, and very much fantastically inclined, mind hoped. Well...He figured that he believed so as well.

Lord in Heaven, he made no sense anymore! Nothing made sense anymore. Not school, not his job, not his adoptive father/master nor the wills that had suddenly been thrust upon him.

Kanda made sense though. Which was rather ironic. No less than a week ago, Kanda hadn't made the slightest bit of sense to the Brit. Everything else had made sense, too. Art, music, friends, and a quiet life away from his master, everything was set straight and Allen had been -relatively- stress free. Only his encounters with Kanda gave him a pounding headache.

And now..? Well, Allen felt as though his entire world had been flipped upside down and hung out to dry, flipping crazily in hurricane-like winds. And only Kanda made sense. The Japanese man was his beacon of hope in the storm, his lifeline to sanity and stability.

How odd.

Allen grabbed another cookie from the package and was sad to note that there was only one left after the one in his hand.

Hmm..It seemed as though he would have to invest in stocking up his cabinet at home with cookies. Too bad Kanda didn't fit in his cabinet.

Well, at least he fits perfectly on my couch.

The Brit flushed a beautiful color of pink and chomped down on the cookie, breaking off a piece in his mouth. As he processed the cookie with his teeth, he also processed his embarrassment.

What was the point in being embarrassed? Was he not an adult?

Well, it's not as though by becoming an adult, I will suddenly become a wanton slut!

Shaking his head lightly, he finished chewing on the cookie and peeked over at Kanda.

Kanda wasn't very secretive with his...flirting, Allen supposed, but that didn't make him a slut, either....Did it? As far as he knew, Kanda only...'flirted'...with Allen.

Right?

Allen squashed the sudden panic that rose in his chest, only to have it replaced with jealousy. Surely Kanda wasn't hitting on other people behind his back! Who would he hit on?!

Lenalee? No...Kanda seemed to only look at Lenalee as though she were his little sister...Something to protect from all the evils in the world. Allen almost snickered at the thought of Kanda becoming like Komui in his protective nature. ...Dear God in Heaven, that was a scary thought.

Apologizing to the Almighty for using such a blasphemous term, Allen moved down the list of likely candidates for flirting.

Miranda? Not a chance in hell! Kanda could barely keep the disdain and annoyance out of his tone when addressing the woman. He didn't hate her, but neither did he exactly like her.

Considering the other people that they worked with, Allen could only come up with Lavi.

Ha. Hahaha. Again, that wasn't likely to happen. Kanda was just as likely to hug, play with, or gossip with Lavi as he was to flirt. Well, Allen wouldn't put any of those near the top of Kanda's list of 'things to do with (or to) Lavi.' Number one on the list seemed to be 'beat the hell out of him until he screams mercy.' Number two was a close call between maiming and castrating.

Allen's eyes snapped up to see Kanda carefully taking the rest of the cookie from his hand, not using hands or fingers, but tongue, teeth and lips.

Putting a stopper on a moan that dearly wanted to escape his own lips, Allen felt his heart-rate spike again, licking his lips. He watched that tongue lick the crumbs from his fingers and really had to fight himself to keep from jumping Kanda right then and there.

It was a hard-won battle, but finally Allen was able to breathe again, only to have it stolen from his chest as Kanda smirked wickedly -passionately- at him.

"Ohhh, you jerk.." the Brit exhaled, the words coming out as a breathy sigh. Kanda chuckled darkly, the deep sounds reverberating in the back seat, sending Allen onto the brink of insanity.

Why, why, _why_ was he being tortured so? Why could he not steal a taste, too, of the beautiful, delicious morsel before him??

The Brit groaned and fell back into his seat, his limbs lax and expression defeated.

He couldn't, because to do so would end up disturbing the other occupants of the van, drawing attention to Allen's parted lips and passionately burning eyes, as well as Kanda's teasing tastes and licks...As well as the fact that Allen would be horridly embarrassed and would wish to die on the spot. The first he sorely wanted to be kept between himself and Kanda, and the second he hoped to the Lord in Heaven and all His angels would never, ever happen. He would prefer not to have to suffer death before being allowed to suffer under Kanda's touch.

Again, the Brit blushed furiously, realizing what he had just thought.

Almighty save him from his devious and wicked thoughts!

It didn't help that Kanda seemed to be all kinds of sin incarnate, in every definition of the word.

He leaned against Kanda, feeling his eyes close slowly. Why was he so sleepy today? Was he really that exhausted? He hadn't done anything tiring during the day...So why?

"Che..Moyashi, you are too damned lazy." Kanda muttered against the Brit's white hair. Allen felt warm, comforting breath slide down the skin of his ear to his neck, where it disappeared into his shirt. He shivered appreciatively and snuggled further against Kanda.

"'m not lazy....Jus' tired."

"Bullshit. You're fucking lazy as hell, Moyashi."

Kanda was silent a little while as Allen rubbed himself closer against Kanda's warmth, not caring that he was in a van filled with Kanda's family.

"Just don't sleep too long, you worthless Moyashi. If you do, I will dump your lame ass to the floor and kick you like a fucking soccer ball." the Japanese man threatened. Allen nodded tiredly, signaling that he had heard.

"Goo' night, BaKanda..." he murmured before falling asleep for the fourth or fifth time that day. He barely caught whispered words in his ear, a rush of warmth against his skin, further pushing him into the comforting darkness of sleep.

"_Oyasumi nasai....omaesan._*"

* * *

Allen was blissfully unaware for a good while before someone seemed to be juggling his head...Or perhaps dribbling it like a basketball. Either way, it was unpleasant and woke the Brit up fairly quickly.

"Whah...Kanda?" he murmured, sitting up. His hands were planted on the seat and he was looking down into Kanda's lap, black-clad legs moving almost uncomfortably. Yet another blush erupted on the Brit's face as he realized that he had ended up sleeping in Kanda's lap.

He jerked back away from Kanda, gray eyes wide.

"I'm sorry!" the Brit said, looking up at Kanda. The Japanese man made an annoyed face, but said nothing. When Allen stared at him longer, he realized that there was a very light coloration to the older man's cheeks.

This made Allen's blush much brighter. He rubbed the side of his head awkwardly, feeling the untangled strands pass through his hands easily.

Was...Kanda..._petting_ my hair?

Brushing the thought aside, Allen grabbed his juice bottle and downed the rest of it. He glanced around outside the van, trying to discern where they were.

"Where are we, Kanda?" he asked after a while of searching, turning up without any clues.

"There was a detour that we had to take about half an hour back, so it may take about another twenty minutes to get to the outskirts of the town, maybe another ten after that to get home." Tiedoll answered for Kanda, turning around to face Allen. The Brit smiled at the old man.

"Thank you for telling me," he said politely. Tiedoll smiled and shrugged, as if it was nothing.

Allen chewed on the last cookie absently, failing to allow Kanda the chance to "help" him eat it.

As they approached the house, Tiedoll turned to face Kanda.

"Yuu-kun..I was thinking about holding your birthday party here, at home. With the big backyard, we could have a barbeque with lots of food and invite everyone from your work, and anyone else you want to come.

"Invite who the fuck you want, I'm not coming." Kanda shot back immediately, no hesitance whatsoever.

"Oh yes you are, Yuu-kun." Tiedoll growled in his deep voice. Allen flinched and stared at the old man in surprise.

"No. I'm not."

"Be a good son and just say yes, Yuu-kun."

"I will not."

"Kanda...Just listen to him. You know that that is how he is." Marie sighed from the front seat, opening his door to get out, as they had arrived.

"Yes, Yuu-kun, listen to your elder brother."

"He. Is. Not. My. Brother." Kanda bit off, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"I knew this would happen..." Daisya sighed, also getting out of the car. Allen stared blankly, not knowing what to do.

"You are coming, my dearest son, whether you like it or not."

"I certainly fucking don't like it, old man! I'm not fucking going!" Kanda yelled, slamming open the back door to the van to escape from the old man. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and stalked out of the garage, obviously headed to his car.

"I'm not fucking going!" Kanda yelled back, just as Tiedoll opened his mouth.

"I'm so terribly sorry, Allen-kun. My dear son can be so difficult sometimes. I'm glad that you two are such close friends, though." the old man said, smiling happily and somewhat knowingly, making Allen's flush lightly.

"Ehh...Only friends, sir. Not _close_ friends."

"Moyashi! If you don't want to fucking walk, get your lazy ass mobile!" Kanda snapped from the garage door. The Brit twitched and jumped out of the van, grabbing his empty juice and cookie container to throw away.

"It was very nice seeing you again, sir! I hope that I will be invited to Kanda's birthday party as well. I will try to make sure he comes, too." Allen said, bowing politely before he started off after Kanda.

"Oh, don't worry, Allen-kun. He will definitely come...If you do." Tiedoll said, just outside of Allen's hearing.

"You think so, too, shishou?" Marie asked idly, pulling his suitcase along behind him, headed into the house.

"Well, you didn't see them in the backseat, Ma-kun. You may have heard them...But you didn't see the look in Yuu-kun's eyes as the dear boy was sleeping. It was the most peaceful I have seen Yuu-kun in a long time."

"Yes, I heard them eating the cookies together. I always thought Kanda hated sweets...Well, up until today, that is."

"Did you see the blush on Kanda's face when the kid woke up from his lap?! Priceless! I will treasure that memory for life!!" Daisya added, laughing happily.

* * *

Allen jumped into Kanda's car just before the speed-demon took off down the road, slamming down on the gas pedal. The tires squealed in protest, the engine revving noisily. The Brit clutched at the door, pressing himself into his seat, assisted by gravity as he did so.

As Kanda drove, he seemed to calm down, even decreasing his speed somewhat. The Brit still swore profusely in his mind, gritting his teeth even after the speed had decreased. It was almost as if the car itself gave Kanda the idea to drive like a professional maniac, as he had not driven so recklessly while in the van.

When they finally stopped at their apartment complex, Kanda turned to look over at the Brit.

"Oi. Moyashi."

"Yes, BaKanda?"

"There is no fucking way you will get me to go to that goddamned party, so don't even try it. Get me, Moyashi?" the Japanese man sniffed, eyes narrowed, as if expecting a rebellious answer. Allen just sighed.

"Why is it such a big matter to you?" the Brit asked, his tone light.

"I-It's not a big matter, Moyashi!" Kanda growled angrily. The Brit arched an eyebrow, almost missing the hesitation, but not quite.

"Is it now?"

"I just said it's not!" the Japanese man barked, slamming his curled fist against his steering wheel. He missed the horn by a few centimeters, but the force of the hit still made the car beep in protest.

"Why don't you just go?" the Brit asked, looking at the menacing fist as it still lay against the steering wheel.

"It's a ridiculous tradition founded by stupid people who have no better excuse than to cook food, eat, and chatter like useless chickens!"

There was a minute of thoughtful silence before Allen replied, gazing out the window.

"I haven't had a birthday party since Mana was alive."

Kanda stilled as Allen smiled at him.

"I would like to see what one of Tiedoll's birthday parties looks like." he said idly, just before getting out of the car.

"I'd like to see it with you, too, Kanda."

* * *

Allen snickered quietly as he walked towards the building. It wasn't the nicest card to play against Kanda, but the Brit had a feeling that Kanda would succumb.

As he reached the back entrance to the building, he heard Kanda's car door open and shut, and then smiled as the car beeped, signifying that it had been locked. Allen opened the door before him just as Kanda caught up, completely silent.

Likewise, the trip up to their floor was silent, but Kanda touched his knuckles against the back of Allen's hand more than once, almost as if he wanted to try to hold Allen's hand again, like they had in the van, but at the same time, thought better of it. It was endearing, but a little frustrating.

The Brit was still fired up about the cookies and really wanted some...time with Kanda. He knew that he shouldn't, because of the card that he had just played against Kanda, as well as the fact that he needed to finish the rest of his homework, what he hadn't done before leaving, and then practice the new song that he wanted to learn for the piano.

Up the stairs and down the hallway, Allen argued against himself, trying to decide what to do. If he ended up spending time with Kanda, he ran the risk of 'staying the night' again, sleeping with Kanda, in Kanda's large, warm bed and he wouldn't get his homework down until Sunday.

If he skipped Kanda and did his homework, then he would remain fired up for the rest of the night, unable to keep his mind off of Kanda's tongue moving against his fingers, against the corner of his mouth, dark eyes burning passionately. Or any of the other hundred images that he had of Kanda stored in his mind.

Like biting down on the skin of his neck, suctioning the skin with a swirl of an exotic tongue.

Or a long-fingered hand tracing invisible, gentle lines down his chest.

Allen shook the thoughts from his mind before they took him over the edge. It really was too much sometimes. _Kanda_ was too much sometimes.

I guess that means my mind is made up. I'd rather go crazy with Kanda next to me than go crazy without him.

"Say, Kanda-"

"-Mr. Walker! Hello, Mr. Walker!" someone called from down the hallway, running after him. Allen had the presence of mind to hide his sudden annoyance with a polite smile before turning to face his caller.

"Yes?" he queried.

"Ahh, this package just came in right after you took the stairs, so I thought I would chase after you and give it to you." the person said, smiling just as politely. It was the mail-room attendant from the lobby, Allen noted, a new one that had only come in a few weeks previous. He really was very nice, if a bit talkative.

"Oh? A package? From whom?"

"The man didn't give his name, but he sure was tall!"

"And there is no name on the package itself?" Allen asked.

"Ahh, no, there isn't." His Canadian accent was a little strange at times, too. Allen put it down to being from a different region of Canada, one the he wasn't familiar with. After all, there were different dialects in every language.

"Well, you could sign for it, please, Mr. Walker?"

"Why, yes. No problem."

The Brit signed it quickly with a curving signature and took the package from the mail-room attendant.

"Thank you very much."

"You're welcome, Mr. Walker."

As the attendant walked away, Allen looked at the package in his hands. It was more of an envelope, but it was heavy and thick, as if it had been packed full. There was a box-shaped lump in the relative center of the envelope. The Brit looked at the brief words scrawled across the middle of the envelope and immediately recognized the lazy hand-writing.

"Bloody useless man! Couldn't bloody well deliver it himself!" he cursed, glaring heatedly at the hand-writing.

"Stupid, stupid Master."

"Something from that bastard Cross?" Kanda asked, announcing his presence to the Brit, who had almost forgotten about Kanda in his anger.

"It looks as if he finally sent my cell phone back, bloody wanker. And information about the wills....Hmm...Maybe there is information about Mana and my uncle..." Allen mumbled, opening the package. He pulled out his cell phone and turned it on. He pulled a taped note off the back of it and unfolded it to read it.

"_Stupid apprentice,_

_Get a better cell phone plan, you fag. This thing is useless._

_-Cross."_

"Bastard! Bloody stupid bastard!" Allen fumed, shoving his phone into his pocket.

"Wills?" Kanda asked, really quite simply. The Brit froze, remembering that he had not told Kanda anything about the wills left to him by his uncle or his adoptive father.

"Oh. I never told you."

"Told me what, Moyashi!"

"Ahh, well....this is a bit of a story."

"Spit it the fuck out."

"I have an uncle...Err.._Had_ an uncle. He passed away back in November of last year, I think. Well, I didn't know about him until just a few days ago. Cross told me about him and apparently, he was Mana's brother. Mana never told me about him, I guess because they were at odds when Mana died, I think. Anyway, my..uncle..Left me a will. And with his will were two wills from Mana, from when he died." Allen explained, crumpling the note in his hand.

"And..?"

"And what?"

"What the hell was in them?"

"In the wills? I don't know. I haven't seen them yet. I am thinking that these are the wills and information about how I can access the money I inherited, as well as information about my uncle."

"Money inheritance?"

"Yes. I inherited an undisclosed amount of money. According to my stupid Master, those wills have left me well off."

Allen sighed, looking into the envelope. He sincerely hoped that there was information about his uncle. He had nothing on the man, not a single shred of a clue as to who he had been, what life he had lead, or what kind of man he had been, aside from what Cross had said. And it wasn't as though Allen could entirely trust Cross.

On the same token, Allen didn't really know a whole lot about his adoptive father either. More than he knew about Mana's brother, but still not that much.

What group did Uncle associate himself with that made his life so dangerous?

Allen looked up as Kanda had started to turn away and struggled for something to say to keep Kanda from leaving.

"Kanda! Would.....would you help me look this information over, whatever it may be?" he asked, clutching the envelope tighter than necessary.

"Che. Whatever."

Allen smiled brightly at Kanda. The Japanese man sniffed and looked away. Allen thought he saw the older man roll his eyes. The Brit smiled even brighter -if that was possible- as he stepped quickly forward, moving faster than Kanda could anticipate, to 'attack'. He slipped one hand behind Kanda's neck, turned the older man's face towards him, pulling him closer to press his lips against Kanda's.

The Japanese man froze and almost seemed as if he was going to pull away, but apparently thought better of it as he took control of the kiss. Kanda bit Allen's bottom lip, making the Brit flinch in shock. In his surprise, he slightly opened his mouth, which Kanda took advantage of. He thrust his tongue into Allen's mouth, starting a fierce dance for dominance that Allen was sure to lose.

Not that the Brit really minded. This is what he had been wanting for the past hour or more. Kanda pressed Allen back, shepherding him to the nearest wall that he could grind the Brit up against. A long-fingered hand buried itself into Allen's white hair, pulling his head back to give Kanda better access.

Allen relished the sensation of the hot tongue in his mouth, scratching down the column of Kanda's elegant neck, scoring the pale skin, leaving light, red lines. In retribution, Allen felt Kanda pull at his hair harder, inciting a gasp from the younger man.

The kiss was hot, demanding, passionate and...all too brief. Kanda pulled back to stare down at Allen, who felt as if fire had sprung all across his skin, leaving him gasping and flushed.

"Should this....be continued...indoors?" the Brit asked breathlessly with an attractive grin. Kanda smirked back.

"You made me wait far too long, Moyashi." the Japanese man responded.

"Are you referring to the long car ride, surrounded by your family?" Allen asked archly.

"Precisely."

"That would hardly be my fault."

"Shut the hell up and open your apartment door."

"So this is going to happen in my apartment? I'm shocked."

"Open the fucking door." Kanda growled, moving close enough that he spoke the words against Allen's mouth, efficiently silencing the younger man.

Allen moved over to his door and unlocked it. He grabbed Kanda by the shirt, pulled him in, and slammed the door before attacking the older man yet again.

He pushed Kanda down to the floor, dropping the envelope on the table and straddled Kanda's hips. The Japanese man, hardly known for his patience or tendency to play games, jerked Allen down by his white hair and claimed his lips roughly.

* * *

A few minutes later, Allen and Kanda both were shirtless and breathless.

"It's...your fault for eating my cookies, BaKanda..." Allen muttered before biting down on Kanda's neck. Kanda groaned at the sharp teeth in his neck. When Allen released the patch of skin, he licked it tenderly ad sucked on it, drawing blood near the surface, leaving a mark against Kanda's perfect skin.

The next few seconds were a whirl -quite literally- and Allen found himself in Kanda's place: On his back, looking up into deep, dark blue -almost- black irises.

"Where in the world did you learn to move so fast, Kanda?" the Brit asked after breaking from the kiss that Kanda pressed against his already bruised lips. A wicked grin was the only response he got at first.

"What kind of fast moving are you referring to, Moyashi?" Kanda asked.

"This kind?" he emphasized, grinding his hips against Allen's with a smooth movement.

"Or this kind?" he whispered hotly into the Brit's ear as Allen found himself not on his back, but on his stomach, arms pinned behind him by one strong hand. The Japanese man bit the skin of Allen's shoulder, swirling his tongue over the skin. He nibbled, sucked and licked a line up to the back of the Brit's neck. When he bit down, Allen cried out and the Brit knew that Kanda could feel him tremble.

"Both..." he replied finally, if bit breathlessly.

"I've had years of training in many different forms of martial arts, Moyashi." Kanda responded, flipping Allen back over with ease. The Brit stroked the side of Kanda's face, his eyes soft and caring.

"Is there anything about you that isn't perfection, BaKanda?" Allen questioned, not really expecting an answer.

"You." the Japanese man said after a minute's thought. Allen was confused.

"Me?"

"Yeah, you, retard."

Allen prepared himself to argue, feeling more than a little insulted, but Kanda beat him to it. The older man licked Allen's bottom lip and then sucked on it before kissing the Brit again.

"Shut up and listen." Kanda commanded, leaning back, his legs pinning Allen's together as he straddled the younger man. Allen sat up, following Kanda curiously.

"You drive me absolutely fucking insane, Moyashi." the Japanese man explained, reaching up to slowly untie his long hair from it's high ponytail.

"You are so fucking stupid and annoying...I can't get you out of my goddamned head!" he ranted heatedly, whipping the hair tie out of his hair, leaving the black tresses to flow around his body.

"You have such a fucking martyr complex, it makes me want to beat your fucking head in! You get hurt and blow it off so fucking casually, as if it's nothing! It's not fucking nothing, Moyashi, because if you fucking die-!" Kanda hissed, slamming his hand down on the floor, pushing himself up against Allen.

"If you fucking die...I will haunt your afterlife until you scream for mercy, you get me?!"

"If I die, it will be a long time off. I have too much to bother you about. And aren't ghosts usually the ones to do the haunting?" the Brit asked softly, knocking his forehead gently against Kanda's.

They shared yet another kiss, this one softer, but no less demanding, and somewhat longer than the previous ones.

Allen pulled back the smallest of centimeters to speak quietly against Kanda's lips, smiling.

"And how in the world could I leave you, anyway?"

He licked Kanda's bottom lip, feeling Kanda shiver very slightly against him.

"I like you too much to leave, BaKanda."

* * *

*"Oyasumi nasai...Omaesan." Something like "Good night, dear one"...Or something.


	33. Part Twenty Six: The Feeling of 'Okaeri'

The Hidden Artist

Part Twenty-Six: The Feeling of 'Okaeri'

* * *

"_I like you too much to leave..."_

The Moyashi remained in the same position as when he had said the words, lips barely grazing Kanda's, breathing softly. He reached out with his tongue to lick Kanda's bottom lip, but the Japanese man found that he couldn't move...Or breathe for that matter.

The kid's words had completely caught him off guard. For five or six seconds -he counted them dutifully, in the very back of his mind-, the Japanese man did not move an inch before his body caught up with his mind.

He leapt forward -though it was a short distance- and claimed Allen's lips again, pushing the kid back to the ground. His Moyashi gasped in pain, gray eyes widening and glazing over slightly.

Kanda pulled back, looking down at the younger man in confusion.

"Moyashi?" he questioned.

"Ahh!" the kid gasped again, apparently having trouble breathing.

"Moyashi!" Kanda barked, tensing up, resting his hand against the side of the kid's face.

"Ri-ribs!"

Kanda jumped up, making sure that he didn't upset the kid by hitting him or anything, and knelt next to the Moyashi, swiftly unwrapping the Brit's bandages.

"Just your ribs, Moyashi?" Kanda barked, glancing up to Allen's face for confirmation. The kid nodded shakily.

"G-God! Aahh! Bloody hell, it f-fucking hurts!" he said, stumbling over the words.

Kanda finished unwrapping the bandages and began very carefully prodding at the ribs. Allen cursed and hissed, saying many things that Kanda hadn't even imagined that the kid knew, but managed to stay still and not thrash around too much.

"You should be put in a fucking padded room, Moyashi. This rib feels broken."

"F-fuck off....B-BaKanda. You're not...helping!"

"I'm going to have to take you to the hospital."

"No! Not a chance! I'll....I'll be bloody..._fine_!"

"Shut the hell up. You don't know what you are talking about."

"Damn it all to 'ell, Kanda! It's.....Fine. J-Just 'elp me to my room." the kid slurred, his accent thickening quite noticeably. With a stubborn and pissed off glare, Kanda stared down at the kid.

Was this brat just going to ignore him?!

"Fuck, Moyashi, could you be any fucking dumber? If that rib gets jostled the right way, it could puncture a fucking lung! And then you'll drown in your own goddamned blood!"

"If I...get up on....my own, then...will you he-help me to my bloody room?"

Kanda hissed in displeasure.

He was going to ignore Kanda, then.

"Fucking...stupid...goddamned-"

"You...sh-shouldn't say...the Lord's...name in vain..." the Brit said, grimacing. He grabbed the edge of the table and pulled himself into a sitting position. He sat there, gasping for breath with great difficulty, trying not to move his ribs at all. After a minute, with Kanda still cursing under his breath, but having moved to a different language by now, the kid pushed himself further up, gasping at the movement.

With a vehement curse, Kanda wrapped his arm under the kid's shoulders and lifted Allen to his feet.

"You're a fucking retard," Kanda hissed, dragging the kid to his bedroom.

"Heh...S-Sorry, Kanda. Kinda killed the mood there, eh?"

"Shut the fuck up. What fucking mood. You're just a stupid Moyashi. Goddamn masochist."

"Yeah...yeah...I get it."

Very carefully, very gently, Kanda leaned down and placed his other arm behind the kid's legs, pushed forward and up, upsetting the kid's balance, lifted his whole body up and with the same amount of gentleness and carefulness, placed the Moyashi on his bed.

"You have any pain killers here, Moyashi?" Kanda asked, eyes riveted on the dark bruising on the kid's abdomen.

"N-no..I don't...think so. I..usually don't....don't need them.."

"You certainly fucking need them now," Kanda said sarcastically.

"I'll be right back, idiot Moyashi..."

With that, the Japanese man left the room, sparing a quick glance back at the gasping Moyashi.

Whoever the fuck it was that did this to you, Moyashi....I will tear them _limb from limb_.

* * *

"I don't fucking care about your stupid meeting, Komui! Get your stupid fucking ass over here!"

"Why can't you just go to a hospital? Why do you need me?"

"Because that goddamn Moyashi doesn't fucking want to go to a fucking hospital! So get over here before I am forced to skin you alive!" Kanda yelled into his cell phone.

"I am a doctor...But there are better doctors out there! Especially at the hospital!"

"_Shut the hell up and get over here!!_"

"Fine fine...It will take me a while to get over there...What exactly is wrong anyway? What is so urgent?"

"That stupid Moyashi may have broken a rib because he was fucking stupid enough to have walked out in front of a fucking car!" Kanda yelled, slamming his fist down on his table. The other side of the line was silent for a moment.

"I will be right over. Don't let him move. And when I get over there, you will tell me everything, okay?" Komui said, his business mode fully attentive.

"Make it fucking fast. Every minute you take will be a minute longer that you suffer."

"Five minutes."

The line went dead, much to Kanda's relief.

At least the jackass knows when to be serious.

He stalked into his bathroom to search for medication or pain-killers, but found nothing. He had known that he didn't have any, but Kanda had checked anyway, in hope that he might, by some miracle, have something.

But Kanda didn't take medication. He had refused to take it for years now, relying solely on his exercise and eating habits to keep him healthy. If it had worked for thousands of years before pain medication, then it would work for him.

Kanda cursed his own lack of preparation and hurried out of his bathroom. The most he could do was to keep the kid company and offer him water or a wet hand towel to put on his forehead. He cursed again and went back to the Moyashi's apartment.

In Allen's room, the kid was staring, wide-eyed, at the ceiling. During their 'adventure' just inside the apartment, Kanda had taken off the kid's sling. Cursing himself again, Kanda turned around -drawing Allen's gaze briefly- and hurried back into the living room. He slipped his own shirt back on -better not to let Komui know what had happened leading up to Allen's rib being upset- and picked up the sling. He went back into the kid's room and carefully slipped it over the Moyashi's head.

"Does your arm hurt too?" Kanda asked roughly, adjusting the sling.

"Can't...tell. Don't think so." Allen said in a clipped tone. The Japanese man inwardly winced.

"Well, just don't fucking move. That jackass Komui will be here in a few minutes to look at you."

"Hah...Hah....Not a problem. Because I'm not going to a hospital."

Che. At least the brat's proper speech was back to normal. If it hadn't been for the current situation, Kanda probably could have found some humor in listening to the small, innocent-looking Brit cursing up a storm. Hearing the kid say "fuck" had to be one of the strangest things Kanda had ever heard.

Hearing the kid curse at all was slightly unsettling, for that matter. He was usually smiling foolishly, regardless of the situation. That mindlessly happy smile tended to irritate Kanda, from time to time.

Which was likely the reason why Kanda had so enjoyed ruthlessly provoking the Brit when they first met.

And now...?

Nothing had changed, Kanda knew, but the reason for provoking. Kanda liked seeing the passionate look that Allen's eyes got when he was arguing, that at least was consistent from when they first met.

But the reason now..?

Kanda shook the thought away.

He didn't really know the reason for his provocation now. It just felt....warmer than it had before. And it wasn't quite as sadistic as it had been.

The Japanese man's thoughts were interrupted by a knocking at Allen's from door. The Brit's eyes shifted to look towards the living room before looking at Kanda.

"Komui?" he asked quietly. His voice was slightly less strained, making Kanda breathe a little easier. Nevertheless, he would feel a hell of a lot better if he were to take the kid to a hospital.

"Should be." Kanda responded, standing up from his position next to Allen on the bed. He wasn't sure when he had sat down, nor when his hand had stopped to rest on the Brit's thigh, but Kanda figured it would be best not to worry about it. He left the bedroom without a backwards glance, swiftly making his way to the door.

As he was entering the living room, the sharp rapping of Komui's fist against the door sounded again, with a slight impatient note.

"Calm your ass down, Komui." Kanda commanded as he opened the door, glaring angrily.

"You're late."

"It only took me seven minutes to get here!"

"Two fucking minutes late!" Kanda growled, pulling Komui into the apartment. He was about to shut the door behind him when a colorful streak shot past him, slamming the door open.

"Lenalee?!"

"Allen!!" the Chinese girl cried, brushing past Kanda and running to the bedroom. Komui bristled slightly at the desperate tone in his younger sister's voice, but Kanda watched the wheels turning in the scientist's head, clearly remembering that the Brit was openly gay and had no interest in females.

The two followed after the girl, Kanda leading the way. He could hear Lenalee talking to Allen, or more accurately, rattling on and on in Chinese. Chinese wasn't something he had ever bothered to learn, so he had no idea what she was saying to the Brit, but Allen didn't seem to have any trouble. He responded every once in a while with a slightly abashed tone.

"What do you mean, not our concern?!!" Lenalee shouted, standing up abruptly.

"Th-That's not how I said it!" the Brit said quietly, but with slight alarm.

"You may as well have!!"

"Miss Lenalee, please! That's not how I meant it. I meant that I don't want to get anyone involved. It's my problem and none of you should have to worry about it!"

"Getting hit by a car isn't solely your problem! It's not like you asked for it!! As your friends, we are here to help you and be there for you!"

"It was just an accident, Miss Lenalee."

"Then why didn't that...that..._piece of garbage_ stop and see if you were all right!! You got hit and they ran away! That's a crime!!!"

"Lenalee..Lenalee. Regardless of the manner in which Allen was hurt, he needs to be checked on. Please, can you step out of the way?" Komui asked softly but sternly. It had to be the first time that Kanda had ever seen Komui be strict with his sister. It was a little amazing.

Lenalee quieted immediately, chewing on her bottom lip. She still looked like she wanted nothing more than to slap sense into Allen, for which Kanda could not and would not blame her. He desperately wanted to punch some sense into the Brit.

He couldn't, though, because the kid's condition was bad enough.

* * *

For the next few minutes, it was silent, other than Komui's soft orders to Allen to move that arm or intake a short breath, or other such things.

Lenalee was staring intently at Allen, who was determinedly avoiding her gaze with a guilty expression. Kanda stood off to the side, glancing between the three other people.

Not our concern? No one else involved?

What the hell was that brat thinking?!

Was this a martyr complex or what? Did he want to just roll over and take this? Give up without a fight? What if it wasn't _just an accident_?! If someone had planned on hitting the kid, then what if they tried it again?

Was it a warning?

Or was someone actually...trying to kill the Brit?

Kanda clenched his fist in anger. No one would ever even get close enough to look at the kid in a menacing manner! If anyone tried anything, then Kanda would rip their heart out!

Hurting his Moyashi was unforgivable and worthy of a thousand years of torture!

The Japanese man left the room in silent anger, headed towards his apartment. Before he even reached the front door, the envelope that his Moyashi had received from Cross was presented to his eyes.

The kid's words about a mysterious, dead uncle and a like-wise dead adoptive father came to mind as the Japanese man picked up the envelope.

Who knew what kind of person the Moyashi's uncle had been. If he were someone important, then Allen's life could have been targeted to prevent the inheritance. It was a little outlandish, but nothing that couldn't be disproved by a little research.

Unfortunately, Kanda knew only two people who could do that kind of research.

Lavi....And Kanda's annoying old man, Tiedoll.

First, though, Kanda would read through the papers on his own to see if there were any clues given.

As the Japanese man glanced at the clock on his wall, affirming that it was indeed rather late, a little past eight o'clock, his phone sounded off, alerting him to yet another call from previously mentioned annoying old man.

Passing off the desire to ignore the call, Kanda flipped open the phone and demanded to know what the man wanted.

"Ohh, Yuu-kun! Are you still in a bad mood? I'm so glad that you be so open with your emotions."

"Shut it, old man. What do you want!" he reiterated, hand twitching in irritation

"Earlier you asked me about a Tyki Mikk, right?"

"Yeah, sure, old man. What about it?"

"Well, after thinking about it for a little while, I realized that I've heard that name many times before. Mr. Tyki Mikk is a widely-known and quite well-liked person in the art world. He isn't much of an artist himself, but he represents several groups that participate in and are benefactors for artists who become favored in the art world."

"And this means what to me? I already figured that he had something to do with the art world, old man. Komui is working out a contract between one of these 'groups' you spoke of and myself."

"Well, from what I remember, Mr. Tyki Mikk studied to be a lawyer, so he knows a lot about legality and such. He has worked as an artist's manager before, and many other things. He is very knowledgeable in art of all shapes and forms, and can advise those he represents about pretty much anything in any situation. He is highly-requested for representation and does his job wonderfully."

"Since he is so highly requested by many groups and companies, he gets around a lot, but he claims sole employment from a certain middle eastern group. I don't remember very clearly, but I believe that they are named for the religious figure, Noah. Noah, as in Noah's Arc, Yuu-kun." Tiedoll explained.

"I know that, old man!"

"Of course you do, Yuu-kun! You're my son, after all!"

"Che. Whatever. What's so special about that Noah group anyway, that makes that bastard stick to it so faithfully? I thought that slime just oozed where ever it ended up."

"Ahh, I'm not sure, Yuu-kun. There were some rumors about his family marrying into the group or something, but you can never believe gossip, right?"

"Che. Anything else, you useless old man?"

"Not that I can think of. If I do remember something, or find out something, I will let you know immediately."

"Fine."

"Oh...One more thing, Yuu-kun."

"What."

"Allen...Has he been taken to a hospital?"

"Che, no. Stupid fucking Brit _doesn't want to_." Kanda sniffed angrily. Tiedoll was silent for a moment.

"He needs to be checked out. You need to make sure that he wasn't internally damaged or that the damage done wasn't severe."

"The stupid kid is covered in bruises, has strained his arm muscles, cut up his leg and may have broken a rib. Is that not severe enough?" Kanda barked.

"Be reasonable, Yuu-kun."

"Fuck reasonable! I'm being logical, you senile fuck!"

Tiedoll sighed slightly, barely enough that Kanda heard the brush of air over the speaker. Gritting his teeth, Kanda inhaled and exhaled deeply and quietly, calming himself. After a moment, Tiedoll spoke again.

"Make sure that little Allen will be fine. I would hate for him to have to miss your birthday party because of your negligence!" Tiedoll said brightly.

"Fuck off, old man." Kanda said warningly, glaring towards his kitchen.

"Well, it is getting late, Yuu-kun! This old man must be off to bed!"

"Don't talk about yourself in that manner. You sound stupid."

"Sure, sure, my dear son."

"I'm not your fucking son, goddamnit!"

"One more thing, Yuu-kun."

"Che. What."

"It's good to be home..." the old man said warmly, such that Kanda could feel the waves of 'happy' radiating through his phone. His cheeks tinted a very slight, impossible-to-notice red as Kanda replied quietly.

"Okaeri."**

Kanda slammed the phone shut and dropped it on the couch as if it were on fire and glared at the offensive device, daring it to ring. A short while passed and the phone stayed silent, much to Kanda's relief. He didn't really want to destroy the phone, but if the old man persisted, he would gladly tear the thing apart and burn it.

After distrustfully pushing the cell phone off to one side of the couch, Kanda sat down on the other side to begin reading through the papers in the envelope.

He had only read through the first page when Komui knocked on his door and then came into the apartment.

"Allen is resting in his bed and Lenalee is making sure that he doesn't move around too much. I gave him some pain relievers to dull the pain, but he will be feeling it for the next day or so."

"What about the Moyashi's rib?"

"It's only a fracture, but with the way things keep going, it might break completely. It's not too close to his lungs, so there is no worry about him puncturing one. However, it can puncture another organ and cause problems. He needs bed rest for a few days so that the mending process can at least get started. I would prefer that he remain bed-ridden for at least a week, but it doesn't seem like that kid can stay still for very long." Komui paused as he sat down next to Kanda.

"If you still want to take Allen to a hospital, that's fine, but there isn't much they can do except tell him what I've already told you both. I'd like it if you kept an eye on him for a while and make sure he doesn't do anything strenuous or get into any more accidents. It could cause some serious trouble if that rib fractures any more or breaks completely. The pain is one thing, and can be dealt with, but a punctured organ is another matter entirely."

"Che. Don't tell me what to do."

"Here's a bottle of pain relievers, the same that I just gave to Allen. Don't exceed four a day, otherwise you risk overdose. Don't mix them with alcohol or any other kind of drug. Also, here is a salve for his arm. Massage it into the muscle and it should help the muscle heal better. Keep the scratch on his leg clean and bandaged so that it doesn't get infected. He isn't in particularly good shape right now, so an infection in a scratch like that could make him seriously sick."

"You talk too fucking much. Do I _look_ stupid to you?! Jackass."

"As long as you understand." Komui said with a smile as he stood up.

"Are you going to keep watch over him tonight, Kanda?"

"Get the hell out of my apartment!"

"Good night, Kanda. Check on Allen every few hours at least!" Komui said, smiling as he closed the door just in time to avoid the thrown permanent marker.

* * *

When Kanda next looked up at his clock, it was nearing eleven o'clock. It was a slight surprise to the Japanese man how fast the time had gone by, but he wasn't totally shocked.

Nearly all of the papers in the envelope were debt receipts from that bastard Cross. Just from the estimated total, Kanda felt a little sorry for the Moyashi. If there were any indication, these kinds of debts were an old habit for Cross. Meaning that it had to be a habit, or at the very least an unwilling chore, for the Moyashi to have to pay them off.

Kanda had sorted through and separated the debt papers into a different pile, which now sat on the table. Apparently, Cross had gathered information as he had gathered debts and so those had been mixed in with the information on Allen's will and inheritance.

Flipping his long pony-tail over his shoulder, Kanda figured that it was about time that he go check on his Moyashi. The Japanese man stood up, stretching out the stiffness in his muscles and then made his way out of the apartment towards the kid's.

* * *

**Okaeri, or okaeri nasai = Welcome home.


	34. Part Twenty Seven: Disobeying

The Hidden Artist

Part Twenty-Seven: Disobeying

* * *

Allen lay on his bed, eyes closed to induce relaxation, riding the waves of pain originating from his ribcage, trying not to think. Komui and Lenalee had left not too long ago (at least by Allen's count, it hadn't been that long ago, but he couldn't be sure, as there was no clock in his room) after the older, Chinese man had given Allen some pain medication and some advice on how to keep the rib from breaking. He also said that it didn't need to be continually wrapped up, but to just be very careful. Lenalee had given him some strict warnings that he wasn't to leave his apartment without first either a) calling someone to let them know where he was going or b) having someone -Kanda, she had advised- go with him.

Never in all his life had Allen felt more incapable or untrustworthy. Yeah...untrustworthy. No one seemed to trust him that it had been an accident or that he would be just fine on his own. It wasn't as though Allen had never been hurt before. In fact, he had suffered many broken bones in his life, never mind all the cuts, scrapes, bruises and scars. His left arm and the left side of his face were a testament to that.

Allen had never been babied before in his life. Abandoned, yes. Hated, yes. Passed from "parent" to "parent", many times yes. But babied? Coddled? Never, not even when Mana was alive. Mana had lived on the streets like Allen had, and so while he was sympathetic and helped Allen, he never _babied_ his adopted son. And the Brit hadn't expected to be.

After living for eighteen years, he still didn't expect to be babied, nor did he want to be.

With his eyes closed, an image of Kanda leaning over him, dark blue, almost black, eyes blazing passionately, lips parted, awaiting...

The Brit gave a soft curse, remembering the mood, the anticipation before his ribs had started acting up. He felt his heart thump hard in his chest, his body recalling the way Kanda's legs had pressed against his, pinning him to the carpeted floor. Strong arms on either side of his head, his own arms reached up to tangle his hands into dark, black hair, tugging very gently to incite a growl.

He really wished that he could go back to that moment and make it last forever. The heat of Kanda's gaze, the warmth of the feeling taking bloom in his chest...It was unforgettable. It was amazing.

Allen was fairly sure that he had never felt like that before in his entire life.

It was a unique moment, a special moment that Allen desperately wanted to go back to. It probably would never happen like that again, though, much to the Brit's disappointment.

He had to wonder though...Where exactly had they been going? What would they have done, had that moment been allowed to continue?

The Brit blushed furiously at his mind's answer – which had sounded disgustingly hopeful, for some reason beyond him.

Could the two of us really go that far so fast? We've only been technically together for about two days, if that.

* * *

Just before Allen slipped off into a restless sleep, he heard his front door open, which he had trained his ears to listen to in case Kanda decided to come back. He wasn't disappointed and immediately snapped open his gray eyes to stare expectantly at his bedroom door. Finally, after what felt like forever, his bedroom door was pushed open quietly, almost reluctantly, to reveal Kanda.

"Still awake, Moyashi?" Kanda sniffed in annoyance.

"Couldn't very well go to sleep with my ribs throbbing." Allen replied, sliding up with his arms so that he could sit up straight.

"Don't strain yourself." the Japanese man said sarcastically. Allen sneered slightly, no venom behind the motion and messed with his pillow so that he could sit more comfortably.

"Does it still hurt?" Kanda asked emotionlessly, seating himself on the edge of Allen's bed. The Brit moved his legs over to give Kanda some room before responding.

"The pain medication dulled it a bit, but I can't move too much or the medication will be pointless."

Silence reigned over the room for a while as Kanda slowly shifted his hand over to take hold of Allen's. The Brit latched his fingers with Kanda's, feeling the roughness of his palms, gliding his thumb over the back of the older man's hand. It was a little nice, just sitting as such.

That was until Kanda pulled his hand from Allen's grip a few minutes later, leaned over to kiss the Brit softly and passionately, and headed out of the room. As Allen watched the length of Kanda's black hair sway with each step, he debated on asking Kanda to stay the night with him. It would be nice to sleep with him, but at the same time, the Brit feared what may come if Kanda did. Considering their previous behavior, before his ribs had begun acting up, Allen wasn't entirely sure. He certainly wasn't sure if he was ready for whatever might happen.

On the other hand, he would greatly enjoy Kanda's company and warmth. It always made him feel..._complete_ when Kanda stayed with him.

By the time the Brit had made up his mind, deciding that he wanted Kanda to stay -damn the consequences- the front door was closing and Kanda was gone.

The Brit frowned. He could always go after Kanda, but that probably would not be a good idea. The pain medication was making him lethargic and if he exerted himself in getting to the front door, he was sure that he would collapse and fall asleep. Then in the morning, he would be sore as ever and in an unpleasant mood.

With an annoyed sigh, Allen allowed himself to sink into his blankets and curl up to fall asleep.

He wasn't sure what would be regretted more; not going after Kanda or going after Kanda and waking up in front of his door in the morning, sore and painful.

* * *

It was with great difficulty, annoyance and a lot of pained cursing that Allen woke up in the early, early hours of the morning. Given his current surroundings, the Brit was sure that sometime during the night, he had left his bed to head towards Kanda's apartment.

His assumption had been right about using up his energy to get to the door. There the door was, two feet from his face. He lay on the floor, arms curled under his head in a pillow, one of the living room chairs up-ended, having been tripped over by the unfortunate Brit hours before.

Hissing yet another curse, Allen pushed himself up from the floor, trying to keep his ribs stationary as he moved. Several minutes of cursing later, the Brit was on his feet, chair upright, holding his side with a grimace. Somehow, Allen Walker could tell that the day would not be kind to him. With yet another curse, sincerely regretting having not been able to make it to Kanda's bed, Allen made his way to his bathroom to shower.

The hot water made the stiffness in his limbs ease a little, but not by much. After drying himself off and wrapping the towel around his waist, Allen shuffled into his room – to collect the pain medication left by Komui- and then into the kitchen – for a glass of water. As he prepared to pop the pills, Allen set up a pot of water to boil so that he could have some tea with his breakfast.

As he was searching through his refrigerator – deciding at the same time that he really needed to go grocery shopping – his cell phone started ringing from the living room, reminding him that Cross had finally returned the device. He closed the refrigerator and made his way into the living room to answer his phone politely.

"Hello, Allen Walker speaking. May I ask who is calling?"

"Yo, Allen! It's Lavi! And might I say, it is nice to hear your British voice this early in the morning." a hyperactive Lavi responded and Allen could almost see the smile in the red-head's voice.

"Good morning, Lavi," Allen said pleasantly, trying to rouse himself from the sour mood that waking up had started.

"Mornin', my white-haired buddy! How are you feeling this morning?"

"Not so great, Lavi, unfortunately."

"Really? What's up?" the red-head asked, actually sounding rather concerned. Not that Allen thought he was heartless or anything – the hyperactive man was anything but heartless – but usually Lavi found more interesting in things not involving other people's well-being.

"My rib is fractured from an accident and I woke up on the floor, but it's nothing too bad."

"Your rib is _fractured_? How did this happen? _When_?"

"Oh, it happened the other night, Friday night, I believe. I was walking home from work when this car came out of nowhere-"

"Car?! You got hit by a car?! Why the hell aren't you in a hospital!" the red-head shouted into his ear. The Brit jerked the phone away from his ear, wincing.

"Kanda took care of me just fine. There wasn't anything that the hospital could have done that Kanda didn't." Allen responded, trying to reassure Lavi.

"Why didn't Kanda tell me about this?! I'm going to have to have a talk with him!! This is important news! If you had been seriously injured-!" Lavi stopped, seeming to have lost his words.

"I didn't get seriously injured, Lavi, so there is no need to worry about me."

"W-Well, at the very least, did you go to the police and report this asshole who hit you? You did, didn't you? You got the license plate number and everything? Did you give them every detail??"

"I didn't go to the police, Lavi." Allen said, already knowing what the older man would think about that.

"WHAT!" The Brit calmly pulled the phone away from his ear again.

"I didn't see the driver or the make of the car or even the license plate number."

"But-! But-!"

"It's fine, Lavi. I'm sure it was just an accident. I'm sure if the person had actually seen me, then they would have stopped."

"Even more reason to have reported it! Even if you don't remember any details! If they were so- so- so- irresponsible to have hit someone and not even notice, they really need to be put in jail!!"

"I don't think the police could have done anything about it."

The line was silent a while as Lavi thought. The pot of water in the kitchen started boiling, rattling quietly as the hot, moist air rose. Allen turned off the heat and pulled the water off the burner. He gathered a tea cup and a bag of black and orange pekoe tea, then poured hot water into the cup. He allowed the tea to steep, waiting for Lavi to start talking again.

"I guess there isn't really much that can be done about it, then." the red-head finally muttered on the line.

"But just make sure that you are careful, okay, Moyashi-chan??"

"My name is Allen, _Lavi_."

"I would hate to lose my bestest British friend in the world, you know?"

"Bestest isn't a word, Lavi, and I think I'm your only British friend."

"Which makes you just that much more precious!"

Allen sighed away from the phone and played with the tea bag a little. Lavi laughed at something on the other side of the line and the Brit could hear him shuffling papers around.

"Oh! There was another purpose for me to call you, Moyashi-chan!"

"My name is Allen and what would that reason be?" Allen asked patiently.

"You remember that guy Tyki Mikk that Komui brought into work on Friday?"

"Yeah," the Brit said, successfully keeping the tone of dislike out of his voice. Although Allen had liked the man from the start, Tyki having dinner with Kanda – _his_ Kanda! – was unforgivable and irritated Allen to no end.

"Well, he invited me to have breakfast with him today! He called last night sometime, hoping that you and I could meet him for breakfast; his treat, he says." Lavi said, the excitement in his voice replacing his previous tone of worry and displeasure.

"Errr...What time?"

"Around nine o'clock. He said there is no rush, that it would be all relaxed and no business. He said that while visiting in Canada, he just wanted good company and all that jazz."

Allen was silent for less than a minute before he grudgingly accepted.

"Sounds good, Lavi."

"Okay! So I want the two of us to meet up.." Lavi rambled on and on about directions and time, almost at light speed. Allen made him slow down so that he could write it down.

"Moyashi-chan, do you want me to just meet you at your apartment? 'Cause I know you don't know this town very well, being a new-comer and all."

"Oh no, it's fine, Lavi. It will be good to get practice, you know? In getting around the streets."

Lavi was also silent for a while, clearly thinking again. Allen could pretty much bet on what was going through the red-head's mind at the moment, much to the Brit's chagrin.

"Lavi, I don't need an escort. I can make it around on my own just fine!"

"But, Moyashi-chan, I'm worried about you. Can't I be concerned??"

Bingo. Hit it right on the nose.

"I'm not a bloody child, Lavi. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Fine, fine. Just remember those directions and don't get lost!" the red-head insisted, sounding down-right adamant.

"Got it, Lavi. Don't worry about me so much. I'm an adult, you know."

"Yeah, but even adults can get hurt, Allen." Lavi said sternly, surprising the Brit.

"Sure, sure. Good bye, Lavi."

"Bye, Moyashi-chan!"

With a growl, Allen ended the call.

"My bloody name is Allen, Lavi." he sniffed, placing the phone on the counter next to his cup. The tea was ready and steaming, so Allen stirred in a little bit of sugar and sipped at it delicately. Bliss filled his senses with the wonderful taste of his favorite tea, relaxing his stressed nerves.

The sudden warmth in his body made the chill more apparent on his skin, reminding Allen that he was still only in his towel. With a roll of his eyes at his own carelessness, the white-haired man shuffled into his room after finishing the last sip of his tea. He picked out an outfit that consisted of his favored white, button-up dress shirt, black slacks and a light blue vest, leaving out his normal red ribbon in favor of a black tie.

One thing was for sure, Allen Walker enjoyed being able to dress as such. It made him feel comfortable and confident, capable of smiling brilliantly to incite a smile from anyone around him.

Allen gathered his keys and wallet from the top of his dresser and then wandered into the kitchen to grab his cell phone.

Lavi had said to meet up at nine-thirty and it was a little after nine when Allen glanced up at his clock. Just so that he wouldn't end up being late, Allen decided that he would leave. He flicked off his apartment lights and walked out the door, locking it behind himself. He cast a quick glance towards Kanda's door, wishing that he could greet the Japanese man for the morning and share a soft kiss before heading off.

Hell, he wished he could do that every morning for the rest of his life. A sleepy Kanda in the morning wasn't something to be missed.


	35. Part Twenty Eight: If

The Hidden Artist

Part Twenty-Eight: If

* * *

After having gone through one of the worst nights of sleep in who knew how long, Kanda found himself debating over whether or not he should go over to Allen's apartment to greet the kid when he woke up. He was still frustrated with the Brit and he wasn't sure if he could keep that frustration to himself.

Also, after having spent several hours pouring over the information provided by Cross, he was sure that he would end up asking some question about Mana Walker. Given how sensitive the kid tended to be when talking about his adoptive father, the Japanese man didn't think it was such a good idea.

Through his preparation of breakfast, he continued the debate, even though he knew how incredibly stupid of him it was to sit there and _think_ about it. In spite of this knowledge, he didn't make his way to the door, instead fussing over his rice, wondering if he had used too much water.

Finally, breakfast finished, he sat down to eat and pushed the thoughts from his mind. If he couldn't make up his mind before he finished breakfast, then he would go to the gym to clear his mind.

Those plans were disturbed when his cell rang from his bedroom, inciting Kanda to abandon his food in favor of answering the phone. He knew the ring tone, much to his dismay, but answered it anyway.

"What, Usagi." he snapped, holding the phone to his ear with his shoulder as he made his way back into the kitchen.

"Kanda, I have a favor to ask of you."

The Japanese man refrained from slamming his cell phone into the counter until it broke in response, remembering the last time he had done a _favor_ for Lavi.

"What." he gritted out, clenching his fist around his chopsticks.

"You see, I'm going to meet Allen to go have breakfast with Tyki Mikk. Allen is going to walk to our meeting spot by himself and he just made me aware that he was hit by a car...And, well, I'm concerned. He didn't report it to the police or go to the hospital..."

"I know. What about it."

"I was hoping that you could tag along behind him until he reached me safely. After we have breakfast, I will walk him home, but he won't let me meet him at his apartment and you are closer to him, so you could make sure that he's safe..."

Kanda had noticed somewhere in the time that he had known the annoying red-head, that Lavi had a very annoying habit of stringing his sentences along into ridiculous paragraphs whenever he was truly nervous or being strongly emotional. This was not a common thing, so when it happened, the Japanese man found himself intently listening to what the red-head had to say, in spite of the fact that rarely were those sentences half as intelligent as the baka Usagi's regular speech.

Shaking his head at the insanity of it, Kanda sniffed.

"Whatever, Usagi. Is that all?" he snapped, dropping his chopsticks to the table top.

"Why, no, there is one more thing. I told Allen to meet up at 9:30, so he might be leaving his apartment soon. You should keep watch, you know?" Lavi rambled off an address at which he and the Moyashi would meet

"Don't fucking tell me what to do, baka Usagi."

"Sure, sure, Yuu-chan!"

"Don't fucking call me by that name!"

"Love ya, Yuu-chan!! Bye!"

With that, the annoying red-head hung up, laughing happily as he did. Kanda twitched and shoved his cell in his pants' pocket, again refraining from smashing the damning device into pieces. He shoved his breakfast into the refrigerator and glanced up at the wall clock in his living room.

It was almost 9:10.

He listened carefully, trying to see if he could hear anything from Allen's apartment to discern if the kid was still there. After a good minute or so, he heard nothing except the ticking of his own clock.

Moyashi must have already left, then.

Kanda quickly pocketed his keys and cell phone, turning off all the lights in the kitchen before heading out of the apartment. What little light that came from the window above the sink in the kitchen lit his way to the door, which the Japanese man quickly locked and exited. He glanced up and down the hallway to see if the kid were anywhere in sight before heading towards the staircase.

The lobby was empty of people, with the exception of the mail-room attendant, who was reading a magazine of some sort. Kanda walked out of the lobby out onto the street and glanced around to see if he could spot his Moyashi.

Again, no such luck, so Kanda started off on the route that Lavi had described to him that Allen would likely be following. With his fast pace, in less than two blocks, the Japanese man caught sight of the tell-tale white hair of his Moyashi. He stayed a good ten meters behind the kid, weaving through the crowd of people with swift grace.

For about two more blocks, the kid looked as if he were somewhat confused. Kanda was about to get irritated and go up there to slap the Brit across the back of the head when Allen finally got his bearings and took a quick turn down a street. Kanda knew the city well enough to know that that little street turned into an alley that, after about a hundred meters, would lead straight to the place where Allen would meet up with Lavi.

Knowing that the kid could find his way just fine through a simple hundred meter alley way, Kanda almost turned to head back to his apartment. However, a glance towards where his Moyashi had turned the corner set him on edge. A person dressed in dark clothing, a hood covering his or her face quickly glanced around the sidewalk and disappeared around the corner.

Heart suddenly pounding nervously, Kanda hurried after the suspicious person. If he was wrong, then it was fine. Allen would be safe and he would be reassured. However, if something were about to happen – like the Brit getting mugged or something – Kanda would much rather be at the scene to prevent his Moyashi from getting hurt.

The Japanese man knew the town well enough to know that not very many people used that particular street because it turned into an alley. It just wasn't convenient enough. Not to mention the questionable state of the buildings and people who _did_ frequent the alley.

Nothing good could come of that suspicious person meeting up with his Moyashi.

When Kanda finally rounded the corner, he saw that twenty meters down the way, his Moyashi had his face pressed into the wall, hands near his head, a sizable switch-blade pointed at a vulnerable area just to the left of his spine, below his ribs.

Kanda sprinted down the sidewalk, his footfalls silent. The mugger didn't see him until the last moment, when Kanda caught hold of his wrist, twisting it brutally, effectively disarming the person.

"Moyashi, move it!" Kanda barked, grabbing the back of the kid's shirt and shoving him away from the wall, putting himself between the two. In his moment of distraction, the mugger hit him just under his sternum, trying to knock the air out of his lungs with a forceful punch. Kanda was caught off-guard and let go of the mugger's wrist. Years of training and muscle prevented the Japanese man from actually losing his breath, but it still hurt, distracting him just long enough for the mugger to escape his grasp.

The mugger took off down the alley, sprinting at full speed to get away. Kanda growled low in his throat, his eyes blocking out everything but the mugger. He was about to take off after the person, but a hard grip on his arm stopped him.

"K-Kanda?"

The Japanese man spun on his heel and fixed his gaze on Allen. The Brit flinched back, fear in his eyes for a brief second before disappearing.

"Y-You....How-? Followed-?"

"Are you hurt." The utter fury in his voice was a little surprising to the Japanese man, but he passed it off as unimportant. Yes, he was furious. Kanda wanted nothing more than to track down that mugger and rip his throat out.

"Nnn...N-No." his Moyashi stuttered.

Kanda nodded curtly before pulling out his cell phone. His knuckles were white and his hands shook almost violently as he dialed the number.

"Yeah, this is Lavi speaking."

"Usagi. Moyashi isn't coming."

"Kanda?"

"Did you hear me!" Kanda snapped.

"Y-Yeah. Kanda, what's going on?"

"Moyashi's not coming."

"Hey, Kan-"

Kanda hung up and slipped the phone back in his pocket before grabbing Allen's sleeve and heading back the way he had come. The kid didn't say anything, his gray eyes showing shock and uncertainty.

* * *

It didn't take long to get back to Kanda's apartment, though he couldn't have been entirely sure. Kanda had spent most of the time trying to calm his mind. He was shaking with fury, his entire body tense.

After unlocking his apartment door, he shoved the Brit in through the door and closed it behind him. Allen stood in his living room, unmoving and silent. Kanda released a shuddering breath and wrapped his arms around his Moyashi's shoulders, pulling the Brit close to his chest. He was still shaking, but his body slowly began to relax with his Moyashi safe in his arms.

Allen leaned back in Kanda's hold, reaching up to grasp Kanda's arms with hesitant hands. The Japanese man twisted his fingers into Allen's shirt, unwilling to let go.

They stood like that for a long time until Kanda felt calm enough to release Allen.

"That..was stupid. Fucking stupid. Don't ever go anywhere without me. Don't even fucking think about it." Kanda said quietly, his voice hard and unyielding, leaving no room for argument or much of anything except a 'yes'.

The kid nodded silently, turning around to face Kanda. He reached up to Kanda's face with two steady hands and kissed the Japanese man softly. When they parted, Kanda was still quietly fuming.

"What the fuck were you thinking! What if that scum had actually used his switch blade!"

"But he didn't." To Kanda, it looked like there was something else that the kid didn't say, but his mind was filled with burning rage, so it was a small detail.

"Doesn't fucking matter. Don't ever leave this building – this fucking apartment, without telling me where you are going and with who you are going first. Got it?!"

"Are you going to lock me up in here, then?"

Kanda was silent for a moment as he turned away from his Moyashi.

"Don't fucking tempt me. Now sit down on the fucking couch and don't move!"

The Japanese man stormed off to his room, searching for the medication that Komui had given him the previous night for the Moyashi, as well as the salve. He recalled having placed them in his bathroom before going to sleep early, early in the morning.

He had stayed up for hours, searching through the information that Cross had sent. It had actually been very useful, giving all the details that were necessary for the Moyashi to go through the inheritance process easily. Every aspect of the wills had been covered completely, making it very clear who the heir was; no loop holes and no mistakes.

Someone had been extremely careful when constructing the three wills, especially Allen's uncle's will. Kanda didn't need to be a lawyer to figure out that much.

There was also information about the law firm that was covering the wills and the kid's inheritance. Sometime earlier in the year, an secret investigation of Allen Walker had been conducted at the behest of Cross Marian, concluding in approval of the kid.

Again, no mistakes were made there.

_Someone_ was desperate that the collective inheritances' end up in the hands of Allen Walker.

Or perhaps that they not end up in someone else's hands.

Kanda walked out of his bathroom and headed into the living room, where the Moyashi was sitting quietly, his eyes showing deep thought. There was something more in Allen's eyes that made Kanda slightly unsettled, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Oi, Moyashi! How is your rib? Are you in any pain?"

The kid didn't respond.

"_Oi_! Pay attention!"

He lifted his eyes slowly to look up at Kanda, his expression carefully blank.

"There is a little pain, but it's fine. I can deal with it."

"Che. Answer when you're called, Moyashi. Have you taken any medication yet this morning?"

"No."

"Here. Take two of those." Kanda instructed, tossing the pill bottle in the kid's direction.

"I told you, I don't need them, Kanda. The pain is fine. I can deal with it."

The Japanese man fought back the strong desire to punch the kid in the back of the head, eyebrow twitching as he stood next to Allen. He wasn't being outright rude or annoying, or even purposely antagonizing, but his calm stubborn behavior was rather irritating.

The kid's acting cool on purpose so that I don't figure something out. Question is, what is it he's trying to keep from me? Fucking brat.

"I don't give a flying fuck what you think, Moyashi. Just fucking take them."

"Fine."

The kid slowly unscrewed the lid of the bottle and tilted it to fish out two pills. Kanda went into the kitchen and filled a glass with cold water to bring back to the Moyashi. He shoved it into the kid's hands, being careful not to spill as he did.

When the kid finished up the glass of water, Kanda reached forward to start unbuttoning the blue vest, pulling it off of the kid with efficiency.

"What the bloody hell are you doing, Kanda?" the kid asked, his voice even.

Still acting cool....Goddamn Moyashi.

Kanda felt his temper escalate a little, but hid it well. Hiding things from him, regardless of the importance, or a lack thereof, was a sure-fire way to piss the Japanese man off.

"I'm going to put salve on your arm, baka Moyashi. Damaged muscles don't heal in a day. Or did you think you were super-human or something?" Kanda snapped. He angrily undid the buttons to the kid's shirt before ripping it off, jostling Allen around roughly.

"Kanda! Try to be more careful, please. Bloody hell, you're going to rip my shirt!"

"Your shirt? You're concerned about your damned _shirt_? How stupid are you?"

"For_give_ me, Sir Kanda! I happen to like this shirt! Never mind the fact that I have limited clothing right now! With the way you're going, I'm going to lose my entire wardrobe!" Allen shot back sarcastically. Kanda dipped his fingers into the jar of salve and started working it into the skin of the Moyashi's arm with nimble fingers.

At the very least, he's acting more normal now.

A spark of wickedness flashed in Kanda's eye before he responded smartly, "If that's the case, you can just stay _here_ and not get run over by cars or mugged by a fucking weakling."

His emphasis on 'here' was a little bit more than _just_ inappropriate, inciting a satisfying blush from the Moyashi. A low growl coming from the direction of the kid's stomach interrupted the resulting silence, making Kanda shake his head. He put more salve on Allen's arm, carefully massaging the muscles.

"Are you ever not hungry?"

"I haven't eaten since yesterday, BaKanda!" Allen hissed indignantly, wincing every once in a while at the pressure of Kanda's fingers on his sore muscles.

"What do you want to eat." Kanda sniffed, standing up to wipe his fingers off on a towel in the kitchen. The Moyashi looked a little surprised at the question, but recovered quickly.

"Well, you cook really well, Kanda, better than I can, so would you mind making me something?"

"Che, it's not as though I was about to take you out to eat, Moyashi. God knows you'd probably get hurt somehow. I'm not about to eat the slop that these restaurants sell, either."

Kanda quickly put together two plates of cold soba noodles with two cups of soup broth. With that done, he prepared two cups of tea to drink with the meal. He set up those up at the dining table with chopsticks, then turned to Allen, who was still sitting on the couch.

"Hurry up and get over here." Kanda commanded.

"Sure, sure, hold on one second. Do you really want me to catch cold while going around shirtless?"

"It's not that cold, Moyashi. It's June."

"Yes, but we do live in the north. It can get cold."

"It's not that cold in my fucking apartment, baka Moyashi."

The kid slipped on his white shirt, but didn't bother buttoning it up as he made his way into Kanda's kitchen. He seated himself carefully in the chair, making sure not to brush his arm or ribs against the edge of the table. Kanda noticed how the Moyashi was favoring his side, reaffirming what he had already suspected: the kid's rib was hurting pretty badly. Probably being shoved up against the side of a building had upset the tender area.

The adrenaline and shock of the situation had probably dulled the pain for a while, but once that wore off, the pain was apparently back with a vengeance. Kanda felt his anger rise again, along with the desire to brutalize and maim the bastard who had dared to attack Allen.

Given a little time, though, and the pain medication would kick in and the pain would fade once more.

Maybe then the Moyashi could concentrate long enough for me to tell him something about that stupid will.


	36. Part Twenty Nine:Want You, Want You Dead

The Hidden Artist

Part Twenty-Nine: Want You, Want You Dead

* * *

"_The Lord Earl of the Millennium would find it very convenient if you were to die, Allen Walker. You have something that belongs to him and he wants it back."_

Those words, spoken so mercilessly as the sharp point of a switch blade poked into his side, echoed in the Brit's mind endlessly.

Someone wanted him dead.

Someone wanted him dead and he had no idea why or who it was.

The Lord Earl of the Millennium? Who the bloody hell was that?

For a good while after Kanda had pulled him from the hands of sure death, Allen had been unable to pull his mind out of the shock brought on by the situation. Even after having been brought to one of the safest places that the Brit could possibly think of, he still felt numb with shock. He could barely think.

When finally his mind had caught up to the situation, he was sitting on Kanda's couch, waiting for the Japanese man to reappear.

Someone wanted him dead and if they were so desperate as to attack in broad daylight, then there was no telling what they would do.

Allen looked up in alarm towards where Kanda had disappeared. That put everyone around him in danger. If this person, this Earl of the Millennium, wanted him dead, he or she likely didn't care about innocent bystanders.

Allen needed to find a way to keep this person from harming any of his friends. But how?

"Oi, Moyashi! How is your rib? Are you in any pain?"

First of all, it would be better not to involve any of them. It shouldn't be too hard, really. If he just kept them at a distance, show this Earl person that there were no bartering chips to be used against the Brit, he would leave everyone else alone.

"_Oi_! Pay attention!"

Keeping himself calm, Allen looked up at Kanda to respond.

"There is a little pain, but it's fine. I can deal with it."

It was a little true, but mostly not. Over the past few minutes, the pain had steadily begun to spread from small pinpricks of pain to deep throbbing pain and only showed signs of getting worse.

"Che. Answer when you're called, Moyashi."

For a few minutes, Kanda pestered him about taking pain medication, but Allen didn't really pay much attention. He just knew that he was denying the pills for some reason.

Truthfully, he really wanted to take the pills. He was in pain, but his mind was set on being stubborn. He wanted to keep Kanda at a distance. He couldn't let Kanda get involved, for fear of something happening to the man. Though, he was sure that Kanda could take care of himself, it really came down to a matter of..well, pride. He didn't want Kanda to have to worry and wanted to take care of it himself.

Allen really didn't know what it was that he could do, but at the very least he could find out why this Earl guy wanted him dead. And it wasn't like he wanted to go off and give himself over to this self-proclaimed Earl of the Millennium.

"I don't give a flying fuck what you think, Moyashi. Just fucking take them."

Oh...Was Kanda still on that tangent? The Brit had been caught up in his thoughts, and had momentarily forgotten about Kanda's presence.

"Fine."

Allen accepted the pill from Kanda and watched absently as Kanda went into the kitchen, presumably to get a glass of water. It was rather odd watching the Japanese man act this way; being a bloody asshole while running about trying to help Allen out. The Brit guessed it must have been odd for Kanda as well, as he was fairly sure that Kanda had never been this nice to anyone before.

The thought was oddly touching, even though Kanda was still being a stubborn wanker. However, that 'fairly' had a down side: He had only known Kanda for less than three months, so there was no telling how Kanda had treated anyone else before the Brit had moved to Canada and started working at _The Hidden Artist_.

But at least eighty percent of his mind figured that Kanda wasn't usually this openly concerned about others.

Allen was snapped out of his thoughts when Kanda came back with a glass of water. The British man popped the pills into his mouth and swallowed them, with some difficulty, with the cold water. He was surprised when he felt fingers moving against the buttons of his vest (reminding Allen that he had indeed been wearing a vest).

"What the bloody hell are you doing, Kanda?" Allen calmly asked, staring down at Kanda's fingers with slight alarm.

"I'm going to put salve on your arm, baka Moyashi. Damaged muscles don't heal in a day. Or did you think you were super-human or something?"

Allen felt himself being jostled somewhat roughly and got rather annoyed at the Japanese man's lack of gentle touch. Then again, when was Kanda ever gentle?

"Kanda! Try to be more careful, please. Bloody hell, you're going to rip my shirt!" he gasped.

"Your shirt? You're concerned about your damned _shirt_? How stupid are you?" Kanda demanded, giving Allen a rather scathing glare as he finished pulling off the shirt. The Brit felt his anger rise and burst.

"For_give_ me, Sir Kanda! I happen to like this shirt! Never mind the fact that I have limited clothing right now! With the way you're going, I'm going to lose my entire wardrobe!" he snapped. Kanda started rubbing some sort of cold salve into the Brit's arm, long fingers massaging the muscle. It almost hurt, but there wasn't enough pressure. If it weren't for the sudden gleam in Kanda's eyes as he glanced up at Allen, the Brit would probably be mesmerized by the feeling of being touched by the Japanese man.

That gleam, however, was distracting in and of it's own right. Allen could read some form of perverse thought that made a blush want to form on his cheeks. That blush did come to life when Kanda spoke again.

"If that's the case, you can just stay _here_ and not get run over by cars or mugged by a fucking weakling." Kanda almost purred, adding in some almost unnecessary insinuation.

Bloody closet pervert.

Resisting the urge to tackle the older man, Allen looked away to notice the little plastic jar sitting next to Kanda on the living room table. His stomach rumbled hungrily, alerting the Brit to the fact that he hadn't even had breakfast yet. Apparently, it was loud enough for Kanda to hear, who smirked faintly as he shook his head.

"Are you ever not hungry?" he quipped, making the Brit scowl.

"I haven't eaten since yesterday, BaKanda!" Allen shot back.

"What do you want to eat."

The question was a slight surprise, but then the Brit really thought about it. He really did like the way that Kanda cooked....

"Well, you cook really well, Kanda, better than I can, so would you mind making me something?" he asked, trying not to smile as he remembered the last meal Kanda had cooked for him. It had been delicious!

"Che, it's not as though I was about to take you out to eat, Moyashi. God knows you'd probably get hurt somehow. I'm not about to eat the slop that these restaurants sell, either." Kanda sniffed before heading into the kitchen. Allen watched with interest as Kanda put together two plates of food, two cups of tea and two bowls of soup. For some reason, it made him feel warm and happy.

Two of everything, just for us...And only us.

"Hurry up and get over here." Kanda ordered, seeming to notice Allen's gaze. Maybe. The Brit really couldn't tell. He grabbed his shirt from whereKanda had tossed it and began putting it on as he replied, "Sure, sure, hold on one second. Do you really want me to catch cold while going around shirtless?"

His sharp tone wasn't meant to offend, but he was a little embarrassed by his previous thoughts.

"It's not that cold, Moyashi. It's June." Kanda said patronizingly. Allen rolled his eyes.

"Yes, but we do live in the north. It can get cold." he shot back, sitting down before his plate. The dish looked a little familiar, but he wasn't quite sure what it was. Regardless, he trusted Kanda and picked up the chopsticks.

"It's not that cold in my fucking apartment, baka Moyashi."

It was quiet for a while as Allen dug into the noodles, listening to Kanda's strict instructions on how to eat it properly, the 'Japanese way.'

"What exactly is this, Kanda?" Allen finally asked, with only slight fear of ridicule from the older man. Kanda gave the Brit a suspicious look that held some confusion, as if the Japanese man could not quite believe that Allen didn't know what it was.

"It's soba."

"Really? Oh, I've heard of this before, but I have never had it!" Allen said, smiling somewhat happily.

"It's good. Did you make it all yourself?"

"I prepared it, didn't I?" Kanda sniffed, picking up some noodles.

"No, I mean, did you make the noodles yourself, the soup, all of that?"

"No...I didn't. But I know how to." Kanda replied cautiously, arching a dark eyebrow. He finished up his soba noodles and then drank the rest of the soup before placing his chopsticks carefully, neatly, onto the lip of the bowl. Allen watched the way his long fingers bent in what seemed an almost ritualistic fashion.

"Do you eat soba noodles a lot?" the Brit asked, having carefully observed the way that Kanda ate the soba.

Kanda made an affirmative noise before he carted his bowl, plate and tea cup off to the sink to wash them. Since the Brit had spent most of his time surreptitiously watching Kanda as he ate and listening to the instructions, he still had quite a bit left on his plate. Allen dug into this, relishing all the different, new flavors. Kanda was a good cook, at least when it came to Japanese food.

Yet another surprise about the man. He cooked well, though he only liked Japanese food and only cooked it; he was caring, but somehow managed to be a total wanker at the same time; he had a well-paying job as a security guard and as some sort of teacher at the university, but he never gave any details into either job. He was a disciplined man who was very intelligent and very athletic. Kanda would be almost perfect, were it not for his sour attitude. But, Allen knew; perfect didn't exist.

It wasn't as though Allen would have Kanda any other way, though. His sour attitude was what made getting close to him and being with him that much better. It showed that not very many people knew about the part of Kanda that actually cared, in spite of his behavior. The way that he kept secrets about himself made it that much better when Allen learned something new about the Japanese man.

Nothing about either of them was perfect, but that was just fine with Allen.

As Allen was finishing up his soba, Kanda's cell phone started ringing from his pants pocket, startling them both. The Brit was slightly amused at the expression of annoyance that came with the recognition of the ring tone. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and answered with slight irritation.

"What is it, old man?"

That must be Tiedoll.

Kanda was silent for a few seconds, listening to Tiedoll.

"Really. Well, then what is it."

He paced over to the table where Allen still sat quietly. Kanda didn't look at Allen, instead he looked into the living room.

"Yeah, he is." Kanda glanced over at Allen momentarily, then at the remainder of his soup pointedly. Allen took the hint and picked up his soup bowl to follow Kanda's previous motions.

"Now will you tell me, you geezer."

Kanda listened again for a while, pointing to the sink when Allen was done with his soup. The Brit picked up his dishes and moved over to the sink to wash them, as Kanda had with his dishes. Kanda made a few affirmative noises into the phone as Tiedoll spoke.

"What is this leader's name, then?"

Tiedoll responded with something that made Kanda start and jump up from his chair. He paced quickly over to the living room table to rifle through some papers.

"Earl of the Millennium, you said?"

Allen froze, dropping his tea cup to the floor. The resounding shatter made Kanda spin around to look straight at the Brit.

"It's fine. The Moyashi just dropped something." Kanda responded into the phone calmly. His sharp eyes were riveted on Allen's face, reading his expression with ease.

"You know that name, Moyashi?" the Japanese man asked away from the phone. Allen didn't say anything, his eyes flicking away from Kanda to various objects before down to the shattered tea cup, where liquid was spreading across the floor.

"Yeah, he does, apparently."

Allen flinched, knowing that that was spoken to Tiedoll. He began picking up the glass and setting it in one hand. When that hand was full, he turned to find the garbage can, which was on the other side of the refrigerator. He dropped the shards into the garbage and then went back to the puddle to pick up the rest. With that done, he grabbed a dish towel and wiped up the puddle.

He then washed the spot, trying to keep his mind off of Kanda's conversation.

The Earl of the Millennium?! Why the bloody hell did Kanda want to know that name?

Allen realized that this was actually a good opportunity, in spite of the unanswered questions.. If Kanda knew about this Earl of the Millennium, then he could tell Allen, answering some of those unanswered questions. Then, maybe he could figure out why this Earl wanted him dead.


	37. Part Thirty: That Name

The Hidden Artist

Part Thirty: That Name

* * *

Kanda hung up his cell phone and then turned back to the kitchen. The Moyashi was standing in the middle of the kitchen, looking rather dumbfounded.

The Japanese man sighed softly. Somehow, he got the feeling that this wouldn't be easy. Though it wasn't like Kanda ever gave at the first signs of a challenge. Quite the opposite, Kanda _liked_ challenges.

He went into the kitchen and sat down, eyes on Allen the entire time.

"Oi. How do you know that name?" he asked, folding his arms over his chest. The kid flinched at his voice and looked over, his eyes wide with fear. That was a surprise to Kanda, who had never know the kid to be afraid of anything.

"Th-the mugger....Said that name." Allen offered weakly, the fear in his eyes flickering into concern. Concern that was aimed at Kanda himself.

Kanda froze, several things in his mind clicking into place.

"The mugger..." the Japanese man repeated quietly.

"What exactly did he say?" he demanded, standing up from his seat to grab the Moyashi by the shoulders.

"He..He said, 'The Lord Earl of the Millennium would find it very convenient if you were to die.' He said that I have something that belongs to him and he wants it back."

It makes sense.

"This Millennium Earl bastard wants you dead, presumably for the will that was just sent to you, and _Mikk_ works for him." Kanda stated bluntly. The kid was silent for a moment, as if processing this.

"What!!" Allen demanded.

"Tyki works for..for this guy? But....Lavi is with him right now..." Allen whispered.

"We have to get Lavi! What if something happens??! What if that bloody bastard tries to attack Lavi!"

"We don't know that Mikk actually was sent here for any other reason than to get me." Kanda sniffed, shaking Allen, his grip on the kid's shoulders tightening.

"Don't forget that it would be incredibly stupid of you to try to go out right now. If that Earl bastard is hiring people to attack you, then having you run out like a fucking moron would be the perfect opportunity."

Allen was silent a moment, processing Kanda's words carefully.

"What do you mean....'get you'?" he asked slowly, taking a step away from Kanda, his eyes cautious with slight hurt hidden in the gray. It occurred to Kanda that what he had said was wonderfully fucking stupid. He had just admitted that he had a job with Mikk.

With the way the kid was looking at him now, the kid probably thought that Kanda was somehow part of the Noah association. Therefore, the Moyash would be in full panic.

The only way to calm the kid....Would be to explain the details of the job. And that would include admitting that he worked at the _Hidden Artist_ as the gallery's namesake; as _the_ hidden artist.

"Shit..." he muttered, sighing harshly.

"Calm your ass down, Moyashi. I don't work for those fucks and I have no _interest_ in working for them. I am employed by one person only and that is Komui." Kanda explained. The kid's trust in Kanda showed immediately, as he calmed down and went forward to bury his face into Kanda's chest.

"But you _were_ going to work for them?" he asked, his voice muffled by the material of Kanda's shirt. The Japanese man felt something in his chest stir, making him feel warm and content

"I had been thinking about it. The pay was one of the highest I have ever been offered." he replied quietly, reaching up with his left hand to play with the hair at the nape of Allen's neck. The white-haired pianist shuddered and twisted his own hand into Kanda's shirt.

"Really? But you're a security guard. Tyki could hire someone from Europe for a much cheaper price, right?" Allen asked, slipping his hand into Kanda's right, entwining their fingers.

The message Kanda got from Allen's behavior practically screamed 'I trust you,' making Kanda slightly uncomfortable. He...couldn't lie to the Moyashi like this.

"I...wouldn't be going as a security guard..." the Japanese man admitted reluctantly. The Moyashi was silent, his hand frozen in Kanda's.

"I have another job at the _Hidden Artist_." The Brit backed up a few steps to look up at Kanda, his gray eyes fixated on Kanda's dark eyes.

"The painting at Tiedoll's.... The symbol of the Hidden Artist..and the tattoo on your chest... All that time you spend in the studio... The reason why you always seem to smell like paint.. You...You're the Hidden Artist."

Kanda arched an eyebrow, watching the sudden blush that exploded on Allen's face.

"Oh God! All those time I went on and on about the Hidden Artist's work! It was _your_ work!!" the kid ranted, clearly embarrassed. He buried his head into Kanda's chest again.

After he calmed down, Allen spoke again.

"What kind of job were you going to do for Tyki anyway?"

"Painting a mural or some shit like that."

"How much was he offering?"

"Almost three times as much as I make in a single year."

"What!!" Allen choked, pulling back from Kanda again.

"Bloody hell...." the Brit muttered, shaking his head. He squeezed Kanda's hand a little.

"That is bloody insane."

"You don't know the half of it. The money I make in a year includes what I am paid for working at the university, at the gallery and for my art work." Kanda sniffed, tugging lightly at the white hair. Allen lifted his face to look up at Kanda, following the direction that the Japanese man had pulled his hair.

"Moyashi....Don't worry about this. I'll take care of that bastard and any other that tries shit with you." Kanda promised. Allen nodded quietly. His gray eyes stared expectantly into Kanda's darker ones, searching for reassurance and comfort.

Fucking brat.

Kanda twisted his fingers into Allen's hair and leaned down to capture his Moyashi's lips softly. The kid pressed closer, his hands reaching up to Kanda's shoulders and finally latched around the older man's neck. Kanda trailed the fingers of his other hand – the one not playing with the kid's hair – along the line of Allen's jaw. After a moment, Kanda released the kid and then lead him to the couch, where they both sat down.

"I'll call Lavi and see what's up." the Japanese man announced, flipping open his cell phone again. He dialed Lavi's cell phone number and listened to the ringing in his ear. It rang nine times, but nothing. Finally, the voice mail picked up, Lavi's recorded voice spastically requesting a name and number to return the call.

Kanda hung up – he didn't leave voice mails, no matter the situation – and then tried the number again.

This time, it went straight to Lavi's voice mail, meaning that the cell phone was turned off.

"That bastard. He fucking turned off his cell phone." Kanda growled, sounding a little scandalized, but mostly annoyed. The Moyashi looked alarmed momentarily, before shaking his head.

"That doesn't necessarily mean anything. After all, it is considered rude to have your cell phone on during a meal, regardless of its nature." he said, as if reassuring himself. Kanda wasn't so sure, but said nothing. The kid could be right, after all.

"I just hope it doesn't mean anything." Kanda heard his Moyashi mutter to himself, twisting his hands together in a nervous motion.


	38. Lavi's Intermission: Panic

The Hidden Artist

Lavi's Intermission: Panic

* * *

When I heard the silence followed by an almost unnoticeable click that signaled the end of the cell phone call, Yuu's last words repeating in my mind, I felt a slight tingling feeling that crept from the base of my spine to the base of my skull that one could describe as the feeling of panic. I kept my features normal, in a slightly blank, but 'smiling' expression as I computed the tones that had presented themselves in Yuu's voice.

"Moyashi's not coming."

_Moyashi's not coming._

I heard panic, which sent my normally-collected mind into a confused spin. Yuu _never_ panicked. _EVER_. In the time that I had known him, which was considerable, and had watched his behavior, Yuu never even came close to panic. But, there it had been, as presentable and pleasant as a punch to the face, dealt by a Russian body-builder wearing steel gloves. And I knew something about taking a punch to the face from a Russian body-builder wearing steel gloves. It hurt like a bitch, but the burning feeling of embarrassment from hearing the laughter of my guardian and teacher, Bookman, hurt even worse.

Damn, I still really hated thinking about that winter in Slovenia and Hungary. Fucking cold and no women to boot.

I heard fear, which was another aspect that tilted my world dangerously. Yuu never showed fear, therefore it was my theory that he _felt _fear even less. Not that that implies that Yuu would show fear before he would feel it, but that the likelihood of this particular Japanese man feeling fear is utterly improbable. It was as likely as finding an opossum (or some other marsupial) at the bottom of the Marianas Trench.

_Moyashi's not coming._

There was a hell of a lot of rage in that tone of voice, though, likely the most prominent emotion that I picked up on from Yuu. He was furious, blindly furious, about something, and when added to those two previous emotions, I felt the heart-clenching sensation know as fear for what Yuu would do in that state. Yuu had always been somewhat predictable with outward emotions, the stuff that he tended to show, and preferred to show, to others. However, from that voice, I heard uncertainty and chaos and a large degree of unpredictability, which made me quite, understandably, nervous.

Yuu was freaking out about something and a freaked out Yuu was not a calm, collected Yuu who could think clearly.

This made me very worried, as I was concerned for the well-being of my two friends, and from what I had deduced, something had indeed happened to Allen while Yuu had followed the Brit to ensure his safety, as I had asked him to.

I blinked, realizing that my phone was still in my hand and I was still staring down at it. The time read an pleasant, serene 8:45 AM ( :26 seconds).

Thank all the gods in the heavens for digital clocks; I absolutely hate, with a fiery-burning-passion-from-the-very-depths-of-hell,_ hate_ standard, ticking-and-tocking clocks. I thank the inventor of time that the human race wasn't forced to stick with those damnable ticking-tocking-grinding, analog clocks.

Whipping that rant from my mind, I slipped my sleek, green and purple cell phone into my faded jeans pants pocket; I started off towards the cafe that Tyki Mikk had promised me. My stomach rumbled briefly (for about 0.05 seconds), reminding me that I was quite hungry. I put a grin on my lips and hurried off towards the said cafe, where food and an attractive European (Portuguese, based on the characteristic light olive-brown skin, golden eyes and the lilting, twisting accent)* man awaited me.

I arrived at the cafe precisely seven minutes and forty seconds later, making myself seven minutes and twenty seconds early. I stood outside the cafe, watching the people pass by (twenty-nine people; four children, fourteen women and eleven men) before Tyki Mikk arrived, his olive-brown skin almost glowing in the early, early morning sun. His gold eyes glinted, flicking around to search for myself and presumably Allen. With my red hair, I knew I wouldn't be too hard to spot. Had my little Brit been standing next to me, I'm sure the two of us would have stood out even better.

It took Tyki all of ten seconds to spot me from the time he turned the corner about thirty feet away. In that time, I took advantage of his distraction to take in his garments. He went casual-dressy, it would seem, with a pair of nice two hundred euro leather shoes (not _too_ obviously expensive, but one would know if given the time to analyze properly), a pair of black slacks that were fitted nicely to his long legs, likely costing around three hundred euros, and then a three-quarters-of-the-way buttoned dark blue dress shirt (four buttons undone; more of that tan, olive-brown skin revealed), followed up with slicked back, long curly hair (looked to me like it might be a well-practiced motion to sweep his hair back with one hand in a very cool, enticing movement, though some of the hair was held back by light hair spray, not gel or just force of will), a gold chain around his neck that complimented his skin and eyes both and a gold Rolex watch (one of the ticking-tocking kind, I noted with slight disgust) on his left wrist.

When he finally met my eye, I smiled heartily at him, carefully keeping my gaze away from the monstrosity** on his left wrist.

"Good mornin', Tyki." I greeted, bowing in a half-elegant, half-lazy bow. Tyki smiled in return at this, his golden eyes flickering with a light, laughing emotion, probably amusement.

"Good morning, Lavi. How are you?" Tyki asked, his own smile giving me pleasant and refreshing feelings bubbling up from some pocket under my heart. The smile, I realized, did not show a lot of teeth, because frankly, too much teeth can be make one feel intimidated as if the conversation-partner is perhaps a predator of some sort. His front teeth peeked out very briefly, showing very white, well-cared-for incisors and canines lacking many of the imperfections that a lot of teeth tended to have. Tyki's smile was crooked by less than a centimeter (0.25 centimeters), giving a unique quality that I rather liked, so that it wasn't entirely perfect, because perfect is also intimidating, but just right.

"I am feelin' pretty good, thank you. And how are you feelin'?"

* * *

A few hours later, after an interesting breakfast filled with talk and the like, I found myself on my back, panting and grinning contentedly, on the mussed sheets of an expensive hotel bed, Tyki Mikk laying next to me, equally content.

"This isn't your first time, my dear Lavi." Tyki said, running a hand through his long curls. I laughed a little, shaking my head.

"Def'nitely not."

I have the satisfaction of saying that that monstrosity on Tyki's wrist had been removed before our escapade involving an extreme lack of clothes. During breakfast, Tyki's deep, accented voice covered the sounds that had come from the ticking-tocking clock, however, once Tyki had requested that we go back to his hotel together, I seemed to have been acutely attuned to the ticking-tocking-grinding.

I had used the excuse of it being uncomfortable to me to slip it off his wrist and throw it across the room, but Tyki had done something to cause me to just drop the gold thing beside the bed.

Now that I was on my back, on the bed, I slipped my leg off the edge of the bed and searched for the ticking-tocking thing with my toes. I found it near where I thought it would be, a victorious smile mixed with a grimace of disgust for the thing crossing my features.

"So...What exactly brings ya to Canada?" I asked, nudging the gold monstrosity away from the edge of the bed with my toes while still on my back. Tyki pushed himself closer to me and put my head on his chest, his fingers sliding over my scalp, tangling themselves in my hair. I flicked my foot, kicking the watch across the carpeted floor until it stopped somewhere near the wall.

"I'm just here on a job." Tyki said quietly with his deep voice. I could hear the resonating tones really well, as my pierced ear was pressed close to his upper torso. Briefly, I wondered about what it would feel like to have a cold, metal piercing sliding over my skin, much like my earring was doing to Tyki's, but the vague answer that I received from the Portuguese man was distracting and drew me away from the thought.

"What kinda job?" I asked, twisting my body to get better access to the hands in my hair and the sensation that they brought.

"I am a recruiter, or scouter, of sorts, for local talent here in Canada. I was sent here by my boss who had heard of a specific person known around these parts for their artistic work and my boss wants me to entice them to come work in Austria for a few weeks." Tyki explained, tugging lightly on my hair. The sensation made my skin tingle pleasantly up and down my spine, inciting a light shudder. I heard a light chuckle from Tyki, who apparently had felt my motions. He pulled my hair lightly again, titling my head back.

He took my lip between his teeth, not too roughly, but there was a sense of control in the motion, and sucked on it seductively before sliding a slick tongue into my mouth. Tyki was a damned good kisser, but that wasn't enough to bring my mind from wanting to ask questions about his job and about the recruiting he planned on doing.

In fact, I was very interested about the recruiting that Tyki intended to do, as I had the theory that this 'talent' that his boss wanted was in fact the Hidden Artist, the person with whom I worked every day, but never knew who he or she was.

"Would this scoutin' happen to be for the Hidden Artist?" I asked, turning myself over to lay on Tyki's chest, closing my mouth over an innocent-looking patch of tanned skin to suck gently. I laughed a little to myself at the irony of it, arching an eyebrow as I looked up into Tyki's only-slightly flustered face; no part of this man looked innocent.

"_The Hidden Artist_? The building?" Tyki asked in return, giving me a confused look, which in turn confused me. I raised myself from his chest with my arms and looked at him at a more even level.

"No. The Hidden Artist...The person." I responded, furrowing my eyebrows a little. Tyki's golden eyes locked onto a spot near the center of my forehead and suddenly moved forward in my sight. A long-fingered, tanned hand entered my vision and pressed a thumb in between my eyebrows and massaged the spot a little, working out the frown that had started to take place.

"Frowning is bad for your health, dearest Lavi." he stated as-a-matter-of-factly before kissing the spot under that had been under his thumb. I felt a slight electric shock spread through my body when his tongue slid out to -presumably- taste my skin.

Tyki pulled back so he could look into my eyes, his golden eyes glinting with amusement, and smiled reassuringly. I wasn't entirely sure what he was reassuring me about, or what he was _trying_ to reassure me about, but it only managed to set me on edge. The hint of amusement in his eyes didn't really help either.

The combination was practically telling me "I know something you don't know, and I'm not going to tell you" and that was a little worrisome. The thought drew me inexplicably to the call that Yuu had made when I was supposed to meet up with Allen.

I had faith in Yuu that he would take good care of my favorite little Brit, but I was still concerned about how panicked Yuu had sounded on the phone. What exactly had happened to set Yuu in such a fury?

Tyki leaned forward and kissed me on the lips, hard, and pushed me back on the bed so that he lay over me. As he began moving down to my neck, I took a deep breath to distance myself from the sensations that he was creating and spoke.

"Ya never asked why Allen didn't come."

Tyki stopped moving and sat up, his long legs straddling my waist. I distantly marveled at the feel of the muscles in his thighs moving against my hips, but kept my eye on Tyki's expression. He looked confused and distracted, clearly wanting to continue, but I wouldn't let him. He sighed a little, fanning breath over my skin, before responding.

"Oh really? How terribly inconsiderate of me. Why didn't our dear Mr. Walker come?" Tyki asked, his expression looking faintly bored. I felt my world of perceptions, which hadn't even recovered from Yuu's call, twist a little dangerously, threatening to flip. I was beginning to see something else about Tyki that I had missed before and it made me considerably nervous.

"I'm not sure. I just got a call a few minutes before we met up sayin' that Allen wouldn't be comin'." I replied, managing just barely to keep the sudden alarm out of my tone.

In that second, Tyki's expression changed. Though his tanned features were blank, his golden eyes showered sheer, unrestrained panic and just as it had come, it was gone, but I didn't miss it. It made me wonder about that panic. He hadn't seemed to be concerned, even remotely, about Allen's absence throughout breakfast, so why the sudden panic?

"Well, I do hope nothing has happened to Allen. Perhaps, though, in the future we can try again in the future, no?" he offered and this seemed to be genuine, as far as my eye could tell.

"However, I must say our solitary meeting was divine providence. _This_ was amazing." said Tyki, emphasizing 'this' with a long finger drawing a line down from my collar bone to navel. He followed his own line again, pressing his lips against the tingling skin of my torso.

Truthfully, I couldn't disagree in the least, but the idea that there was more to Tyki than he was showing me wouldn't leave my head. Given that, I had to know more about this Portuguese man.

"Who's yer boss?" I asked, running my hand idly through Tyki's dark hair, tugging lightly on his hair just as he had done to mine not too long ago. For years now, I had been good at hiding my thoughts from everyone around me, with the exception of my guardian, Bookman, and so pretending that my world of perceptions had not just been thrown off-kilter was elementary.

"I work for a company known as the Noah Association..." Tyki murmured, burying his face into my neck, nibbling softly on my skin. I was fairly sure that my neck and upper torso would be covered with marks later, but it didn't really matter at this moment. I may not trust the man, but that doesn't mean his...skills are to be considered any less than what they are.

I allowed him to continue for a few minutes with his ministrations in silence, besides comments and barely restrained sounds of appreciation and pleasure, before speaking again.

"Do you....Are you married?" I asked, raking my short nails over his spine, inadvertently stumbling over my words. Tyki arched his back a little, his breathing losing it's careful tempo for the shortest amount of time before he fixed his golden eyes on my singular green one.

"No...I'm not much of one for females." Tyki replied, arching his eyebrow in a humored expression, which made me grin a little in response.

"Tha' would explain a lot..." I trailed off, rubbing my hip against his thigh. Tyki chuckled a little, sounding slightly strained, responding to my movement with an almost unnoticeable jerk of his hips.

Again, I was relatively silent for a while, plotting out my next question to ask the man above me, when Tyki beat me to it by speaking.

"I have family, though. My elder brother, Cyril, his wife, and their adopted daughter, my niece, Road." he murmured, his deep voice sounding somewhere near my belly-button. He pinched some of the light, orange-tinged hair that grew on my stomach and pulled it, making me wince, though I didn't voice the pain. I just watched Tyki, who then licked the reddened skin with a slick tongue.

"An' you live in Austria?" I asked, pushing my hair back out of my face, bumping the black string that tied around my head, securing my eye-patch. Tyki looked up to my face, kissed my stomach, and then reached up to fix my eye-patch.

"Sometimes, yes. I have a place in Austria, a place in Germany, one in Portugal and another in Brazil. My family also has houses in Japan, Turkey and Greece, but those are mainly for business trips." he explained, stroking the side of my face in an odd gesture of caring. Given the way this whole meeting had taken place, to feel the 'emotion' of caring was very odd, as this situation felt as if it were something carried out on a regular basis: meet a possible candidate to have sex with, take them to breakfast/lunch/dinner, invite them back to the hotel room and go about business. This particular gesture didn't feel routine, though, which threw me through a loop. Maybe this was just how Tyki reacted after a particularly promising session? Though, it did seem like he was wanting to go for round two.

"So, _Lavi_...Do you have any family? Surely you aren't married; you are far too young for that." Tyki purred and my name on his lips, said like _that_, was heaven.

"I only have my guardian, no brothers or sisters, or parents for tha' matter. But I do have my friends, Allen, Yuu, Daisya, Miranda...All the people at _The Hidden Artist_. Who needs family when one has people like them around? And, no I'm not married, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm too young for it."

"_You_?" Tyki asked, his tongue struggling with the foriegn pronunciation I had given the word.

"Yeah, Yuu. Yuu Kanda. He's the security guard at _The Hidden Artist_. 'S been my best friend for years." I explained happily. Tyki nodded a little in recognition of Yuu's last name, as I figured he would since no one can forget ever having met Yuu Kanda. His sour disposition was enough to brand the name 'Kanda' in one's mind for a lifetime.

"Yes, I remember him..." Tyki paused, looking at me with curious golden eyes.

"What ever is the matter, Lavi?" he asked, stroking the side of my face yet again.

"What do ya mean?" I asked in return, smiling. He continued caressing my cheek, moving his fingers closer to my jawline and then back up again near my cheekbone.

"You had an expression of concern when Mr. Kanda was mentioned. Is something wrong?"

"Ahh, no. Ya've met Yuu, so ya know how he is. I was just rememberin' somethin' he said to me." I said, shrugging it off as unimportant. Tyki seemed to buy it, so he shrugged lightly as well, smiling yet again.

"Indeed, I do remember his demeanor. A slightly difficult man with obstinate tendencies." Tyki offered politely. I laughed in response to that.

"If ya want to put it tha' way, sure! Obstinate, _indeed_."

* * *

*I'm kind of half bull-shitting this part here...I don't know what are the typical characteristics of Portuguese people...But from the Portuguese people I know, light/dark skin as was described does seem to be common among full-blood Portuguese, and my best friend (who is Portuguese) has bright orange streaks in her darkish green/hazel eyes, which makes them look golden-ish. And said best friend's mom and dad both speak Portuguese, and their accents sound twisty and lilting...So...Yeah. My best description. Sorry to anyone I offended or confused or whatever.

**In case you haven't guessed by this point, Lavi has a complex about analog clocks, the ticking-tocking kind, as he calls them.


	39. Official Hiatus Notice

The Hidden Artist

**This is an official notice:** I am putting Hidden Artist on hiatus. Lately, I have not had enough time to write anything due to all of my college dealings, and I believe that in the future I will have even less time, as I will be searching for a job, at the very least, a part-time job. I sincerely apologize to all readers of Hidden Artist.

Whenever I get the chance I will write out an update, but between studying, going to class, sleeping and searching for a job, I highly doubt updates will come as often as they used to. I am truly, truly sorry to have to put this story aside, but the stress and the pressure coming from various places at once has forced me to make this decision.

Again, I sincerely apologize and I will pick this back up as soon as I can.

Until then, please don't forget about me...^_^;;;

Sincerely,

-Maze Puppet


End file.
